The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-21 00:00:00

FRAN CE.

During the sitting of the National Assembly yes-
terday, atter the discussion on the Electoral Law had

M. Ledru Rollin ascended !the tribune, and begged
leave to address a few questions to the Cabinet rela-
tive to the affairs of Italy. A grave fact, 11., said, had
jr,st taken place in Italy. A Republic had been pro-
claimed at Rome, and the temporal power of the Popes
was at an end. This was glorious intelligence for the
friends of liberty.—(Loud murmurs. " No! no!' " Yes!
yes !") M. Ledru :Rollin wondered at those interrup-
tions from a quarter (pointing to the Left) which had so
enthusiastic:My joined in the cry of " Vice la _Repub-
lique."' Sinister rumours were in circulation which
afflicted the hearts of the sincere republicans, at the same
time that they caused a rise in the funds Various projects
of inti rvention were on the tupis; but, if he was correctly
informed. Piedmont was to invade Romagna, whilst Na.
plea was to enter the Pontifical dominions on the other
side. In the meantime, a French and English squadron
would give moral support to the Sardinian and Neapo.
litan armies, and another naval force would be stationed
at Genoa to awe the Piedmontese patriots, who would
naturally take arms.
M. Drouyn de Lhuis, Minister for Foreign Affairs,
said that M. Ledru Rollin had wondered at the mur-
murs of a portion of the Assemby, when he stated
that the pro..lamation of the Republic at Rome was
good news for the friends of liberty. No sympathy
need exist between the French Republic and all the
insurrections and revolutionary movements through-
out Europe. Before he cried Vice la .Republique,
he shoud ask ask what republic was meant.—(Here a
member exclaimed from the extremity of the hall, " You
would prefer crying Vice le Roi Murmers.) "We
knew our republic," added the minister, " we will defend
it, but we must be allowEd to wait before we give
our approbation to certain republics. As respected
the intervention of Piedmont in Romagna, he
would observe to M. Ledru Rollin, that Ro-
magna and Piedmont are not contiguous, and that
they are separated by intervening States.—(Laughter.)
The Pope possessed a double power, spiritual and
temporal, and when he was obliged to quit his
dominions all the Catholic Governments and others
resolved to interfere in crder to restore to him the
enjoyment of his double authority. France would not
remain indifferent. Such was the opinion of the Go-
vernment, which had sought with the utmost solici-
tude to remedy the evil and re-establish peace in the
Catholic Church. It had accordingly concurred in the
plans suggested for the re-establishment of that peace
and order. France could nct approve the Italian Con-
stituent. She would bide her time, and, if obliged to
act, the Cabinet would first apply to the National As-
sembly. This was the only reply he could return M.
Ledru Rollin.
M. Ledru Rollin, who followed, endeavoured to draw
a distinction between the temporal and spiritual power
of the Pope, and maintained, amidst the indignation of
a portion of the Assembly, that Pius IX., as a tem-
poral Sovereign, had forfeited all rights to the
esteem and affection of his people. He then told the
Cabinet that it was bound to prevent all intervention in
Italy by the Constitution. the manifesto of the Provi-
sional Government, and the order of the day of the Na-
tional Assembly of the 24th of May, which had pro-
claimed the principles of the emancipation of Italy.
M. Coquerel, a Protestant minister, rendered full
justice to the Pope, and contended that if the French
RF public restored him to the enjoyment of his temporal
power it would be with his entire approbation. The un-
grateful Romans had not only banished the Pope—it
had banished the first friend of Italian liberty.
M. Poujoulat occupied the tribune at post hour.
It was rumoured yesterday in Paris that Prince
Schwartzenberg, the Austrian Minister for Foreign
Affairs, had directed Baron Thorn, the Austrian Mini-
ster at Palis, to lay before the French Government a
protest against the pretensions of the King of Sardinia.
In this protest Prince Schwartzenberg claims, on the
part of the Emperor of Austria, the full and complete
securedpciss e s possession otno
himo f the Lombard
ti Vbef nleBt inlos. kTi nom, om ,
protest
adds further, that inasmuch as the Austrian troops in
Lombardy had been attacked without a shadow of jus-
tice by the King of Sardinia, and that victory has
crowned the Austrian arms, the Emperor considers that
he is entitled to be paid the expenses of the late war by
Charles Albert.

FIRE IN A COTTON-MILL.
(From the Manchester Courier.)
About twenty minutes past one o'clock this (Wed-
nesday) morning, a fire was discovered to have
broken out in the coiton-mill of Mr. Charles Pooley,
in Temple-street, Chorlton-on-Medlock. The alarm
was brought to the Town's
-yard, in Clarence-street,
by a policeman in a cab, when Mr. Rose was quickly
on the spot with four engines and a body of the fire-
brigade. When first discovered, the flames were seen
bursting out of the end window of the third story, at
that end of the mill which abuts on the South Junction
Railway, and they were confined to the blowing-rooms,
which are situated immediately over the engine-house.
When Mr. Rose arrived the fire had extended to the
two upper rooms, and threatened the destruction of
the whole mill, but by the judicious exertions of the
firemen, the flames were very soon checked. Fortu-
nately a wall cut off the communication between these
rooms and the rest of the mill, and when the flames
reached the top story it was only to penetrate a cis-
tern on the roof, a rush of water from which mate-
rially assisted to check their further progress. Had
not this been the case, the entire mill must have fallen
a prey to the destructive element, when the loss sus-
tained must have been a serious one, as the mill is a
tolerably large one, being some 25 yards long, and five
stories in height. How the fire originated it is dif-
ficult to say, as the mill was closed at eight o'clock on
the precious evening, when all appeared to be quite

safe. There is little doubt, however, that the fire
must have been burning for a considerable time, from
the progress which the flames had made when first
noticed. As there was no private watchman employed
on the pr( miser, it is possible that the fire may hav e
been smouldering since the time the engine stopped.
From all we could see and learn, we believe con-
siderable damage will be done to the engine-house,
whilst the machinery in the blowing rooms will be
totally destroyed. Owing to the brief time allowed us,
we were unable to ascertain whether or not Mr. Pooley
is insured, or what the damage may be estimated at.
Superintendents Saynor and Taylor were both in attend-
ance, with a body of police, but so few people were pre-
sent their services were scarcely needed.