The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-15 00:00:00

FRANCE.

[The following appeared in our Third Edition of
1 sit night] :
We find in the afternoon edition of Galignani
Messenger of yesterday (published at, half-past two
o'clock) the following account of the great Demo-
cratic demonstration :
" DZMOCRATIC DEMONSTRATION.—A manifestation
composed of National Guards, students of the different
schools, and a number of workmen, which had been got
up by the leading members of the Mountain, and the
ultra-democratic party, took place this morning. The
muster was made at the Chateau d'Eau, on the Boule-
vard du Temple, and reckoned in number about from
15,000 to 20,000, about two-thirds of whom were Na-
tional Guards in uniform but without arms. Chef de
Bataillon Etienne Arago marched at the head of the
cortege, which directed its course towards the National
Assembly. Immense numbers of workmen were as-
sembled on the foot pavement, as well as at the Portes
St. Denis and St. Martin, but the majority of them
looked on with careless indifference, not even responding
to the cry of Vive la ROiubliqte!" Vive In Constitu-
tion!' which was raised by those forming the procession,
and which was indeed the only cry raised, the Rd-
publique democratique et sociale' being on this occasion
set aside. All the shops in the line of march were
closed, but nothing like a symptom of disturbance was
visible. Not a single sargeet-de-ville was to be seen, the
authorities evidently wishing to avoid all excuse for
collision ; but large bodies of National Guards were
under arms at their resp..ctive points of muster. In the
neighbourhood of the Assembly everything was per-
fectly quiet during the morning. About 1 o'clock, intel-
ligence having arrived that a large body of men were ap•
proaching, troops were sent for to the Esplanade of the
Invalides, and, almost immediately, four squadrons of
lancers came down the quay, crossed the bridge, and
took up positions in front of the Garde-Meuble, at the
same time blocking up the Rue Royal, Rue St. Floren-
tin, and the other streets leading to the Place de la Con-
corde. The Tuileries Gardens were closed, being
strongly occupied by the troops. At about half-past
one o'clock, the Claasseurs of Vincennes were seen
to issue suddenly from the Gardens, and run with great
speed across the Place de la Concorde towards the Rue
de la Paix. A strong body of cuirassiers came
up immediately after at full trot. At the end of the
Rue de la Pais, the baly forming the demonstration
were met by the troops, and it being signified to them
that they must at once disperse, the body was bro-
ken by the troops, one party withdrawinr, by the small
streets leading down from the Boulevard, and the rest
towards the Madeleine. General Changarnier was pre-
sent, with the Prefect of- Police, when the summons to
disperse was made. In an instant the Boulevards were
cleared by large bodies of cavalry, and the demonstra-
tion ended. Some accidents occurred whilst the cavalry
was proceeding down the Boulevards; one dragoon
being hurt by a fall, and a National Guard having had
his fete cut with a sabre. The paosages remained inter-
rupted in the neighbourhood of the Rue de la Paix.
The demonstration, we understand, bore with them a
petition to the Legislative Assembly against the war at
Home. At the hour of going to press everything was
quiet."

Although all the persons walking in this procession
were unar.ned, and although no violence was at-
tempted, the Government, i, will be seen, Ins made
this the excuse for proposing to destroy the Constitu •
tion by giving power to the President to declare, not
Paris only, but the whole of France in a Ft.-ite of
siege. The Legislative Assembly met yesterday at
three o'clock. It had adjourned over to Thursday,
but the Ministers sent special invitations to their
own friends to meet, and about 400 assembled.
M. Dupin was in the chair. The greatest agita-
tion prevailed. All the Ministry were present. Ge-
nerals Ledo and Lebreton and Colonel Murat were
dressed in their uniforms. Several members demanded
that the names of the representatives should be called
over, in order to ascertain what members were absent.
This proposition was debated for some time without
result, when a member ascended the tribune, and
called on Ministers, in the present grave circumstances,
to give explanations to the Assembly on the situation
of Paris.
M. Odilon Barrot said that at the sitting of
Monday direct provocations to revolt had been ad-
dressed to the people. On being defied to carry
their threats into execution their authors withdrew or
explained them on Tuesday. It would now remain
for justice to decide whether their explanations
were sincere. Justice woald visit with condign
punishment those who had assumed, in the presence
of God and men, the responsibility of the blood
which might deluge Paris for the third time. This
morning a degree of agitation manifested itself in
certain quarters of the city. Revolutionary, illegal,
and seditious assemblages took place, in violation of
all laws. Artizans of disorder and anarchy were
mixed up with them. A. few citizens dressed in
the unitorm of the National Guard also joined
the groups, in which cries were uttered, and designs
manifested to overturn the present Government,
the offspring of universal suffrage. Those strange
republicans for the third time assailed the Govern-
ment. The authorities, aware of their hostile inten-
tions against the Assembly, prepared means of
repression. All the men entrusted with the
peace of the city were at their posts. Those
assemblages were dispersed, and vanished before the
attitude of the armed force. On separating, however,
they announced that they would construct barricades,
and he had reason to know that such an attempt
had been made. The Minister of the Interior was
watching, and would apprise the Assembly of the
march of events. For his part, he (M. Odilon Barrot)
considered the circumstances sufficiently grave to de-
mand that the Assembly should constitute itself imper-
manence.— (Approbation.) This measure was the
more indispensable, as it should be ready to provide
against every contingency. It should evince neither
weakness nor precipitation in the face of the enemies
of the laws. If the measures at the disposal of the
Government were insufficient to repress an armed
insurrection, more energetic and rapid means of re-
pression would be demanded. M. Odilon Barrot was
preparing to quit the tribune, when an officer handed
him a letter from M. Dufaure, Minister of the In-
terior, containing the following decree, which he
submitted to the approbation of the Assembly :
"In the name of the French people, the President
of the Republic charges the President of the Council
to present to the Legislative Assembly the following
project of law :—Considering that an armed insurrec-
tion, directed against the Constitutional power of the
Republic has taken place in Paris, and that it may ex-
tend to other cities of France—considering the import-
ance of arming the Government with all the means
necessary to insure the prompt and efficacious repres-
sion of that insurrection, to enforce respect for the
laws, and maintain the Constitution :

" Article 1. The city of Paris and all the territory
comprised within the first military division are de-
clared in a state of siege.
" Article 2. That measures may be extended to
the cities in which similar insurrections might take
place, and when the Prefects shall have established by
a decree the fact of the revolt against the laws.
Given at the Elysea Nationale, on the 13th of
Jane, 1849.

(Signed) " LOUIS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
(Countersigned) " ODILON B ARROT, Minister
of Justice."
This communication was received with loud ap-
plause by the Assembly.
M. Lagrange next rose and said, that many of his
colleagues of the Left had not received invitations to
attend in time to be present. The letters having
only been issued at two o'clock, he thought that so
important a measure as the state of siege could not
be discussed with closed doors, and in the absence of
the reporters of the press and that the Assembly
would not vote, under such circumstances, a resolu-
tion which must deluge the country with blood, and
probably bring about the destruction of the Republic.
This address produced a lively agitation. In one
of the groups M. Taschereau and General Leydet
were seen discussing with considerable animation, and
when the former withdrew and proceeded towards
his seat, the General made a movement as if he in-
tended to kick him. This gesture, which was per-
ceived by the whole Assembly, excited universal in-
dignation. Several of the younger members of the
Right, amongst whom we noticed M. de Morny, ad
winced with hostile intentions towards the General,
before whom M. Bean and several others of his
friends placed themselves to protect him. In the
midst of the tumult, M. Pierre Bonaparte ran up to
the tribune, and said that the General had yielded to
a movement of vivacity which he was the first to
deplore, and begged leave to explain. The President,
nevertheless, called the General to order, who after-
wards muttered a few words of apology.
The Assembly subsequently, and by an almost
unanimous vote, declared itself en permanence.
The President having next consulted the Chamber
respecting the expediency of withdrawing into its
bureaux to examine the State of Siege Bill, a
Member from the Left declared that, being on the
Boulevard, he had witnessed the dispersion of an
assemblage of the people by a charge of cavalry, and
this was the only symptom of civil war he had seen.
He accordingly thought that the proposed measure
was useless.
M. Dufaure, Minister of the' Interior, next de-
manded urgency. The furious provocations, he said,
contained in the journals, and which were unparal-
leled in the annals of the former revolution, rendered
the measure indispensable. The greatest part of the
population had remained deaf to them, but he re-
gretted to say another portion had hearkened to them,
and placed the Government in the cruel necessity of
dispersing them by force. The rioters had retired, crying
to arms, and on some points shots were fired upon
the troops, and barricades were erected. The Go_
vernment was anxious to be armed with means suffi-
ciently energetic to avoid a sanguinary repression,
and to substitute the force of laws to the force of
arms, and he trusted that the Assembly would im-
mediately vote the Bill.
The Assembly afterwards declared the discussion
urgent, and retired into its bureaux.
It is said that M. Etienne Arago has been arrested.