The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-28 00:00:00

serving universal esteem, and the father of an interesting I SPIRIT OF T
family, he still had other incli nations beyond his domestic
circles to gratify. His condi let was neither becoming his
age nor his position. The laws of morality are never
violated with impunity. Evil, once admitted into the human
soul, makes rapid and eXtel Isive progress. Contempt of
public decorum frequently to :minates in crime. Through-
out his whole life Colonel ',R udrey had been in the habit of
indulging his passions, and yi( tided to seduction to a greater
degree than perhaps any et; her person beside. His character
was universally known—it' was known by Louis Bonaparte.
Persigny was not ignorant of it. All that was wanted,
then, was to find a woman able and willing to complete the
work which vanity and insa diable ambition had commenced.
Eleanore Brault, the widow.* of the Sieur Gordon Archer,
attracted the notice of LOl2l 5 Bonaparte and of Persigny.
She was remarkable for per sonal charms ; her ability was
equal to her beauty. Act: v. e, intriguing, of equivocal cha-
racter, and moneyless, she v /as just in those circumstances
which very frequently tend to convert a reasonable being
into a passive instrument.- She did not fail in the part
which was allotted to her. A letter addressed to her by
Vaudrey, proves that she left untried no means calculated
to have an influence on hie .mind. She was prodigal of
flattery to one who was ease
iettially vain, while she payed
upon his feelings as an old s vldier, and her lover, by de-
claring that it was infamous to secede from a promise once
made, and that she never would at tach herself to any man
except such as would wholly devote . Ilitnself to the success of
the enterprise. Her arrival at Dijon is well known. Her
journey was no 'secret to Persigny, why' sent two letters for
her to the poste restante of that town which letters had
exclusive reference to the conspiracy. One of the letters
had enclosed in it a note, which Louis Buena mac had, under
the name of Louise Vernert, written to VausdreY• It will
also be recollected that this woman folloCed Vaudrey
to Friburg, and that she took him to the rendezvous
given by the director. But what is not known is,
that now throwing aside all modesty, she lived In the
same apartment with Vaudrey ; and attaching herself mitn't
closely than ever to his person, she never left him until the
moment when he was irresistibly led towards the abyss,
and when nothing more remained for her to do than to con-
template with exultation the completion of the work which
had been confided to her. Under such circumstances, tho
participation of the woman Gordon in the plot cannot be
matter of doubt, and it presents itself in the most unfa-
vourable colours. We behold in her a cold and calculating
woman, making use of all her means of influence ; specu-
lating on the affection which another feels for her, and lead-
ing on to his ruin a man who loved her, and doing all this
for no other conceivable motive than abase and vulgar in-
terest. There are, besides, other circumstances which
prove that for several months the woman Gordon had been
initiated in the designs of the conspirators, and that she
promised them her aid. In the month of July she had se-
veral interviews with Louis Bonaparte at Baden. She re-
ceived him at her house, and went out with bim. On the
other hand her relations with Persigny were very intimate.
She afterwards returned to Paris, where she received let-
ters from the latter, who was endeavouring to bring her in
communication with De Bruc. She was, moreover, far
from being inactive herself, and she received thanks for the
zeal which she manifested for the success of the enterprise.
The letter written to her by Vaudrey, which has been
already alluded to, proves that the praise bestowed on her
by Persigny was well deserved.
" Again, on the very day when the attempt at insurrec-
tion was made, she is discovered at.lo o'clock in the morn-
ing in Persigny's house, where she assists in removing out
of way all papers which might reveal the nature and
object of the designs of the conspirators, and the names of
the parties who had taken part in them. A short time be-
fore, she had been directed by Persigny to bring a waist-
band ornamented with gold, and a passport which had been
left in Louis Bonaparte's apartment. To all these charges
the woman Gordon only replies by denials and explanations,
which are without the slightest plausibility. She pretends
that she scarcely knows Louis Bonaparte, and that she
only caught a glimpse of Pesigny. When she is questioned,
she admits that appearances are against her, but maintains
that she is innocent.
" The facts laid to the charge of Laity, Lieutenant of
the battalion of Engineers, are perfectly similar to those of
which Vaudrey stands accused. He is, like Vaudrey,
charged with treason and felony.
" The participation of Parquin is likewise established by
undeniable proofs. He formed part of Louis Bonaparte's
cortege, next to whom he occupied the principal rank. He
was clothed in the uniform of a General Officer. He bore
for some minutes, after leaving the barrack of the 4th Regi-
ment of Artillery, the imperial eagles which he expected
would have a powerful effect on the troops. Until his ar-
rival at the Lieutenant-General's house, it does not appear
that any particular part was assigned to him ; but there,
after the courageous resistance made by General Voirol, he-
was directed to take care that that officer did not quit the
building. These orders were zealously executed by Par-
quin. It is also ascertained that Parquin, who was an old
soldier, and had numerous connexions with the army, was
charged to recruit for adherents in its ranks. This fact is
still further confirmed by Parquin's conduct and journies,
for which he could assign no probable cause, and by his ab-
sence from Paris, where his presence was, strictly speaking,
required by his duty. Finally, this is not the first attempt
made by Parquin to corrupt the fidelity of the troops. As
for the influence which the recollection of the empire, and
of the man who presented himself as its representative, had
over him, this is as little proved as that his conduct in the
affair was unpremeditated."
(To be continued.)

THE FRENCH TELEGRAPH.

(From a French Ministerial Paper.)
The imputations cast upon Government by the Opposi-
tion Press, in consequence of the interruption of the late
telegraphic communication from Bona, have induced the
Ministerial evening organ, the Charts, to lay before the
public a statement of the means of transmission employed
by the administration of the telegraphs. " The telegraph
lines at present established," says the Charte, " are quite
sufficient for the ordinary service during two-thirds of the
year, with some few exceptions ; but in the months of
November, December, January, and February, the ordinary
service is but imperfectly performed by the telegraph, which
becomes altogether insufficient when any event gives a sud-
den and extraordinary addition to the labour. This dif-
ference depends upon the diminution of the length of the
day, and also upon the inevitable obstacles occasioned by
fogs and unfavourable weather. The former obstacle might
be removed by means of night telegraphs, and the Adminis-
tration is prepared for the establishment of them, which,
however, would more than double the annual expense of the
telegraphic service, and would be of real utility during not

quite half the year.
" In the general telegraphic system permanently foggy
weather forms an obstacle, the effects of which may be di-
minished but not entirely overcome. The telegraphic posts
are placed at the distance of two or three leagues from each
other, and to effect the transmission of intelligence regu-
larly, the signals formed at one of the posts must be per-
fectly distinguished at the corresponding stations. On a
line such as that of Toulon or Bayonne, each of which is
200 leagues in extent, any interruption to the clearness of
the air for even two posts is sufficient to put a stop to the
working of the telegraph. During the unfavourable season
dense fogs are formed on large portions of territory, and
these constitute an opaque mass which it is impossible to
penetrate. The means employed to escape the fatal con-
sequences of fogs and bad weather are—the division of each
principal line into sections, and the union of great lines by
their extremities. The division of the lines into sections al-
lows the transmission to be continued on all the points on
which it is not impeded by insurmountable obstacles. At
the extremity of each section is an agent, who frequently
makes use of the courier, and sometimes of the estafette, to
transmit to the nearest sections the signals which have been
retarded in his hands. The union of the principal lines by
means of junction lines is still more efficacious, as they
create two, and sometimes three, different lines of trans-
mission for each telegraphic point. The transmission of the
signals is made on the line which is most free from fogs and
other impediments, and thus the working of the telegraph
is continued. In 1836 nearly a tenth of the despatches
from Toulon reached Paris through Bordeaux. The im-
possibility of completely escaping the obstacles presented
by fogs and bad weather has often led to experiments to
discover some new system unattended with this unsur-
mountable difficulty. Acoustic and electrical telegraphs
have been tried, but all these experiments failed practi-
cally, even when made on the most reduced scale. It is a
mistake to imagine that any difference exists between the
transmission of signals from the centre to the circumference,
and from the circumference to the centre. It is also an
error to suppose that the services of the telegraph are not
valuable even during the unfavourable season. From a re-
turn recently made it appears that of 284 despatches
transmitted between the Ist of November, and the 15th of
December, 1836, 41 reached their destination on the day
of their date, and SG on the next day. This forms the mi-
nimum result at the worst season of the year. These ex-
planations, which are in some degree technical, are the
only ones which it suits the dignity and the character of all
the members of the Cabinet to offer. None of the infe-
rences which may he drawn from the accidental insufficiency
or irregularity of the service, can touch a single member
of the present Ministry, or the superior central administra-
tion of the telegraph."

Lord Montague will entertain the Dutch Minister
and Madame Dedel, and a select party, at Ditton Park,
near Henley-upon-Thames.
Earl de Grey arrived yesterday in St. James's-
square, from his seat, West Park, Bedfordshire, for the
season.

JOURNALS:

The organ of Lord Lyndhurst (the Times)state3.
that " it is not true that the Noble and Learned Lord
remains in Paris till the opening of Parliament ; he'
returns, as we have already stated, on the 15th of Ja-
nuary, more than a fortnight before that time, and as
soon as the political leaders of any party arc likely to
re-assemble in London." So far so good. The same
honest and respectable journal adds that it is also not
true " that a slight was intended to Lord Lyndhurst
by not inviting him to dine at Glasgow. The dinner
invitation has no connection with the appointment of
Lord Rector for the University of Glasgow ; but the
merchants of Glasgow, learning that Sir Robert Peel
would attend in person at Glasgow, in order to be in-
stalled, thought it. right to pay some mark of respect to
a distinguished statesman who would be on the spot,
and proffered to him the hospitality of their great
commercial community." If we may judge from
the report of the proceedings at the meeting of
the Glasgow Town Council, at which the freedom
of the city was justly refused to the Right Hon.
Baronet, there is more than mere sequence in
this dinner to him. To begin with the Lord Rector-
ship, Sir Robert was unquestionably chosen solely on
political grounds. The first wish of the party, how-
ever, was not to choose the Tamvrorth Baronet, but
Lord Lyndhurst. " It was true," observed Mr. Doug.
las, " that his party had fallen back on his. (Sir Ro-
bert's) personal character, as safer to stand on than
that of the Noble candidate they abandoned." There
has been a great deal of planning in this matter. A
Tory dinner in Glasgow would have come rather
abruptly on the citizens ; but the foundation havieig
been laid in an elevation of a Tory to the Lord Rec..
.torship, it was thought that even the Reformers would
h Gully object to the proffering to that Tory, when on
the' ,spot, the hospitality of the community, and thus a
pretext would be afforded for affirming that a re-action
had taken place in the capital of the west of Scotland.
The Toros in Glasgow are now rather anxious, it would
seem, to chOavow party motives in giving this dinner;
but Mr. J. B. Gray stated without contradiction in the
Council, that "..at the meeting for making arrangements
for the dinner, the Dean of Guild said it was not a
political question to which he spoke ; but the din-
ner was to be given on personal considerations." Had
he stopped here he might have been borne out ; but
what did the leader of that party
.say in opposition to-
the Dean of Guild ?—‘, A re-action has taken place,
and this dinner would be a proof of such re-action.
There was the secret.let out." 'We are gravely told
that the Duke of Wellington was not asked to the
dinner any more than Lord Lyndhurst. This may be-
all very well ; but there was no reason for not invit-
ing his Grace, while there was, it seems, some co-
gent reason for excluding the Noble and Learned
Lord from Glasgow. Sir Robert Peel stood between
him and the Lord Rectorship and the dinner, which
is its sequence. The Glasgow Tories, no doubt,
think themselves very adroit ; but in thus raising Sir
Robert on the ruins of Lord Lyndhurst they appear to
have forgotten that the House of Peers is the Tory
Parliament, and that the Noble and Learned Lord is
the idol of that House, and has been worshipped as the
great champion of Toryism at all the Conservative din-
ners at which Peers were present. The Glasgow business
has undone nearly all that the English Conservatives
have been doing. How is this malapropos to be ac-
counted for ? 'We fear the Glasgow Tories ,have taken
the Times too readily at its word, or rather have not
read that journal with sufficient allowance for thesse
errors of the Press which will be committed in th.e
most carefully edited papers. When the Times asked,
" What party have we deserted—what principle have
we abandoned ?" there is an evident omission of not,
though the Glasgow Tories do not seem to have de-
tected the error. The Times has deserted every party,
and abandoned every principle. We fear Lord Lynd-
hurst is the victim of this mistake. It is true that the
Times did labour hard to destroy the Noble and Learned „
Lord some time ago, when it more than insinuated
that even the Tory Peers shrunk from contact with
him. "We pass by Lord Lyndhurst," said our re-
spectable Contemporary (May 18, 1832), " who
knows that we have often spared him, with sentiments
akin to those which were manifested by their Lord-
ships at both sides of the House, more than one
of whom expressed the highest approval of the
Duke of Wellington's character and proceeding,
while upon those of the Learned and loose-
tongued Baron all were silent as the grave."
Now the Tories of Glasgow should either have
banished from their memories all that was said by
the Times before the 15th of November, 1834, or
have interpreted it by the rule of contraries. Lord
Lyndhurst is now a great and good man in Printing-
house-square, and has been so these two years. Some
friend of his Lordship should endeavour to enlighten
the Tories on this subject at the dinner, that they
may not again fall into the error which has created
such embarrassment in many quarters. The Times
has been put quite out by the blunder. It has been
interrupted in its career of lauding the great ornament
of the Peers by the contre temps of the election of Sir
Robert arid the dinner ; and it cannot, with decency,
return to Lord Lyndhurst till the proof of re-action in
Glasgow has been seen, or the honours paid to the
distinguished Tory Statesman have been duly trum-
peted forth. Were the Times at once fairly to own
that it is a renegade, an apostate, utterly regardless of
truth, ready to unsay to-morrow what it has said to-
day, the simple Tories of Glasgow would not, perhaps,
have endeavoured to show their tact by putting so
marked an affront on the proud ornament of the To-
ries.—Morning Chronicle.
There are two modes of conferring distinction. The
first and the most obvious is the homage paid by worth,
intellect, all that ennobles our common kind, to some
surpassing fellow-man, whose eminent qualities com-
mand a cordial and general appreciation. A testimony
of this kind is not unusual, when any one deserving it,
either in political or in private life, claims the attention
of his countrymen, or of his individual associates. The
second mark of distinction is, however, still more com-
plimentary to the qualities just spoken of: when all
that is mean, and base, and vile, is brought to bear
against the opposites of those qualities—when abuse is
heaped on all that is laudable—when significant in-
sults are offered to political eminence—then we may be
assured that, whether the throes of an agonized faction,
or the vain hopes of trimming expediency, have prompted
a despicable act, one point is indisputable—namely,
that the individual so assailed must have the strongest
claims on the regard of his fellow-countrymen. Take,
for instance, the impertinence of the persons calling
themselves the town-council of Glasgow. We have no
wish to pry into the peculiar objects of these indivi-
duals in their ostentatious insult against Sir Robert
Peel, but we have a right to consider this as a political
circumstance, and as such we shall consider it. Sir
Robert Peel, not only without the knowledge or wish
of the distinction which has been conferred upon him
in his election to time Lord Rectorship of the Uni-
versity at Glasgow, has wisely, as we think, consented
to afford the friends of the Constitution in the northern
part of this empire an opportunity of rallying round
the foremost champion of the Conservative cause. How
was the Right Hon. Baronet invited ? We sternly
put this question to the self-styled Liberals. Sir Robert
Peel was invited, not as the deadly enemies of the Con-
stitution would wish it to be believed, by those who from
selfish or personal motives could hope for profitable
distinction by being associated with a great political
leader. No 1 The Right Hon. Baronet has been invited
to the second city of North Britain by the youth, the
educated youth of Glasgow—a class who may be fairly
considered as representing not only the patriotic en-
thusiasm of their age and station, but without exagge-
ration the opinions and feelings of their parents and
natural guides. This is sufficiently proved by the
ardour manifested by the merchants of Glasgow.
And what is opposed to this by the truckling ex-
pectants of the Whig-Radical Government ? We
know it is notorious to the whole empire that the
wealth, the respectability, in short, that all the influ-
ences by which Glasgow has achieved, and can hope
to maintain, celebrity—we know that all this is an
element of Conservative power, and that it is devoted
to the welcome of Sir Robert Peel. In opposition
to this, we have not the experienced age, not the
wealthy enterprise, not the generous and ardent youth,
but we have a majority of seven in the town council.