The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-07 00:00:00

THE FRENCH EMPIRE.

A document has just made its appearance in
France, which shows the lamentable extent to
which religious intolerance will some times carry
even a dignitary of the Roman Catholic Church.
Besotted, indeed, must be that Cardinal who can
view the introduction of railways as a curse from
Heaven, and it is satisfactory to know that the con-
duct of the Cardinal in question is not likely to
escape the just rebuke of the Parisian press.
The Cardinal Archbishop of Besancon has pub-
lished on the occasion of Lent a mandement, in
which he dwells on the non-observance of the
Lord's-day. " He maintains," says the Journal
des Debats " that temporal visitations, such as
the sterility of fields, the ruin and bankruptcy of
traders, dre., are the consequence and the chastise-
ment thereof. The prelate cites as an example hotel
and innkeepers :—They, he says, for having neg-
lected to observe fast days ordered by the Church
by supplying their guests with meat, have seen
the pestilence of railways fall on them. It is true
that since railways convey travellers with rapidity
to their destinations, hotel and innkeepers esta-
blished inintermediate places have seen their houses
deserted by the crowds who used to frequent them
when people travelled on horseback or on foot, or
even in diligences. But we should not have be-
lieved that this result could be ascribed to the anger
of Heaven against the poor inn-keepers."
History proves that while all the other nations of
Europe have of late years been making rapid strides
in wealth and population, France alone has been
standing still. Now, much of this retrogression, for
retrogession it is, some people attribute to her long
neglect of the railway system, and it must be some-
what disheartening for her friends to know that
the narrow-minded prejudice which animated
an English stage coachman thirty years ago
has at length found refuge in the breast of a prince
of the most powerful Church in the world. Another
prelate, the Bishop of Rochelle, exhorts his flock
to destroy all " heretical " books, meaning all books
not approved of by the Roman Catholic Church.
Addressing booksellers, he tells them that the only
way to make their peace with the Church is reso-
lutely to burn all books of- this description, even if
they should ruin themselves by so doing ; and he
touchingly exhorts private individuals not to hesi-
tate out of admiration for style, beauty of print or
binding, or affection for a family relic, but to com-
mit all literary poison at once to the flames.
There was a Council of Ministers on Saturday, at
which the Emperor presided. The Minister of
Public Works introduced the question of granting
the concession of a line of railway which had been
previously voted by the late Legislative Assembly,
and one of those lines recognised as the most useful
1 France. The Minister not being, it is supposed,
in favour of the company which presented itself,
though containing some of the financial names in
-raris, represented that he considered that the Go-
vernment should hold itself within the limits of the
communique, and not accord more than 3 per cent.
guarantee to the company. After some debate, it
Was decided by the Council, seeing that the Bourse
was what is called cha'rgee, not to accord any rail-
way concessions for the next six months. This de-
cision of the Government may be much questioned
as regards its wisdom, as, while it postpones French
railways, it will not prevent, but rather encourage,
the bringing out of lines in Spain and Italy, which
Will have undisputed possession of the Bourse.
It was rumoured yesterday that one person, if
not more, connected with the public press, had
been arrested. The order for the arrest came, in
one instance at least, not from the Minister of
rolice, but from the Minister of the Interior. The
gentleman was taken out of his bed at seven in the
morning. His papers were all searched, and
though the commissary of police admitted that he
had found nothing to compromise him, he was car-
ved off in a cabriolet, and his friends do not, up to
the present moment, know what has become of
him.
The Boulevards were crowded the whole day by
persons anxious to see the procession of the bceuf-
gras• The cortege paraded through the usual line
of march, and was unusually numerous. The wea-
ther was cold, but dry.
The usual procession of the Bceuf-Gras began
Yesterday. The promenaders of the Boulevards
Were numerous, though not so numerous as on the
last occasion, owing, perhaps, to the cold, which
has for the last day or two tained a degree not
experienced during the winter. The masks are
*very few, the police regulations having imposed
Several restrictions, or perhaps in consequence of
the growing distaste for them. Now and then a
carriage, containing a par;-,y of fantastically dressed
Young men and women, with a few flags here and
there, pass on, and horns are blown announcing
their departure. At the 1.1_,-ual hour of the morn-
ing, the fat ox, to whom no name of Shelby has
been given, set out on It's tour of visits from the
Faubourg du itoule slaughter-house to the per-
sons whom ho is wont to honour on such occa-
sions. The Palace of t'ie Elyc Se was the first, and
his next was to have been the English Embassy.
This last mention-1 vi :it has been postponed in
consequence of the horn being that of divine ser-
vice ; but on Tuesday he will present his respects
at 39, Fabourg St. Honore. Of the oxen ex-
hibited at the Poitsy market five had been noted
as the finest ; they proceed from the grazing
grounns of Brucourt, the property of the Countess
Hope, daughter of General Rapp, and the purchaser
is the same al last year, namely, M. Bellamy,
the Imperial fournisseur. The three selected for
the coreage in Paris and the Banlieu are named
Uncle Tom, Shelby (the hero of this day), and St.
Clair. Uncle Tom will do the honours on Tuesday.
The weight of each of these oxen is said to be about
1,500 hilogrammes, or 3,003 lbs. The cortege
began at 10 o'clock, and was opened by two run-
ners showily dressed, and carrying the batons of
office. Six venerable Druids, crowned with the tradi-
tional oaken chaplet, clothed in white robes, imme-
diately preceded the Reuf-Gras who was accom-
panied by the sacrificer, and escorted by two men in
fantastic costume carrying banners. Next the Bceuf-
Gras came the massive car filled with persons repre-
senting an agricultural fête of the period of the
Gauls. The car was drawn by four horses, capari-
soned in the usual style, the two first with posti-
lions, and the bridle was held by esquires, while a
grave personage, with hoary locks and a flowing
white beard, intended to represent Time, held the
reins. Mercury, Force, Commerce, Industry, and
Other allegorical figures filled the car. Parties of
men, mounted and on foot, wearing the costume of
the time of Louis XIII., or of Francis 1., and
other periods, closed the picturesque part of the
cortege. A detachment of about 100 mounted gen-
darmerie d'elite escorted the procession.
The Bourse was exceedingly dull on Saturday,
and the speculators for a rise appeared to have lost
all confidence. A change of Ministry was again
mentioned as imminent, and it was added that the
delay arose Flom M. de Morny wishing to inaugu-
rate his return to office by a fin ;her reduction of
the army, and other measures calculated to con-
vince the powers of Europe of the Emperor's de-
termination to maintain peace. The Three per
Cents, opened at 79f. 10c., rose to 79f. 45c., and
fell subsequently to 79f., at which they closed for
the end of the month. The Four-and-a-Half per
Cents. closed at 105 f. Orleans Railway Shares,
990 f. ; Rouen, 950 f. : Havre, 445 f. ; Great
Northern, 832 f. 50c. ; Paris and Strasburg, 750 f. ;
Paris and Lyons, 853 f. 75c. ; Lyons and the Medi-
terranean, 715 f.: Caen. and Cherbourg, 590 f. ;
Bordeaux and Cette, 555 f. ; Shares of the Bank of
Credit Mobilier, 715 f.
At the Casino yesterday the French Three per
Cents. were done at 79f. 10c.