The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-17 00:00:00

THE FRENCH REP ÜBLIC

We have received the Paris papers of yesterday.
The National Assembly, on Thursday, continued
the discussion on the Electoral Law. An amendment
of great importance was proposed by M _ ,,HARTON,
which we regret to find was rejected, but the princi-
ple of which, we hope, will be adopted at some future
stage of the discussion. Mf. CHARTON proposed, that
after 185.5 no citizen should be inscribed in the elec-
toral lists who could not read and write, and he pro-
ceeded to show that, in many instances, voters who
could not read and write had applied to persons
to write the names of candidates in their voting
papers, and that such persons had deceived the voter.
lle likewise argued that persons who could
not read and write were not competent to
form an opinion on the merits of candidates, inasmuch
as they were deprived of the means of acquiring
knowledge. The proposition was opposed by M.
FRESLON, one of the most bigoted members of the
Parti- Pretre, who said that there were always those to
be found who would advise the uneducated peasants
how to exercise their suffrage in the most proper
manner ; to which it was replied that the persons
alluded to, viz., the proprietor, the mayor, and the
curate had, in many instances, commanded the eke-
tion for the district, in consequence of the gross igno-
rance of the voters. The amendment was rejected,
but as all the journals of all shades of opinion, including
the Dtbats, the Constittitionnel, and the National, have
expressed themselves in favour of its principle,
we think the day cannot be far distant when
the educational qualification will be adopted.
The Assembly then proceeded to consider the re-
port of the Committee, to which the Bill presented by
the Minister of the Interior, for the celebration of
the 24th of February, the anniversary of the revolu-
tion, had been referred. It will be recollected that
M. PoRTALIB had recommended the celebration of the
day by a religious service, &fete, a distribution to the
poor, and an amnesty, and the Minister had promised
to introduce a measure founded on those recommen-
dations. M. LEON FAUCHER, however, forgetting
that he is the Minister of the Republic, and remem-
bering only his regrets for the defunct' Monarchy of
Corruption, the Monarchy of the Testes, the Gui•zots,
and the Petits, the Monarchy of the Praslins, the Sophy
Daweses, and the Louis Phillippes, introduced a Bill
for the bitter observance of the 24th February by a
funeral service, and proposed to postpone all re-
joicings until the 4th of May, the anniversary of
the meeting of the National Assembly, the destruction
of which M. LEON FAUCHER is endeavouring to
hasten by every means in his power. The Commit-
tee to which the Ministerial measure was referred
agreed to that portion of it which proposed the obser-
vation of the 4th May as a fete day, but recom-
mended that the 24th February should also be ob-
served as a day of fete and national holiday. M.
LEON FAUCHER, notwithstanding the recommenda-
tion of the Committee, persisted in his measure, and
on a division was beat by a very large majority.; the
numbers being—
For the Bill as amended by the Committee 490
For M. Leon Faucher's motion 99

Majority against the Ministers..... —391
The Governor of the Prison of St. Pelagie was ar-
rested on Thursday.
The Moniteur publishes the decree for the dissolu-
tion of the National Assembly, and for the convoca-
tion of the Legislative Assembly, voted on Wednesday
last.

The Ministerial journal La Patrie has the following
on the affairs of Tuscany :
" The flight of the Grand Duke of Tuscany may, if it
be prolonged, and particularly if it leads to the dethrone-
.nent of the Prince, occasion serious diplomatic compli-
cations. The Grand Duchy of Tuscany belonged to
Austria,'to which it was conceded by the treaty of 1735.
Erected into the kingdom of Etruria in 1801, afterwards
united to France in 1808, it returned in 1814 to the Arch-
Duke Ferdinand with the clause of reversibility, which
was originally conceded for the benefit of the Austrian
Princes. It would appear from what is said, that the
Emperor of Austria would claim his rights over the
Gr and Duchy, if the present Grand Duke should be de.•
prived of his sovereignty."
The PRESIDENT of the Republic gave a grand
dinner on Thursday at the Palace of the Elys6e.
Amongst the guests were M. Pomsot of the French
Academy of Sciences, M. Thiers, M. Mole, MM.
Gay Lussac, Adrien de Jussieu, Leon Faucher,
Alignet, De Chabrier, Le Docteur Layer;
Ingres, Eugene Delacroix Vieillard, &c.
AIM. BARTHELEMY ST. HILAIRE and PAGNIIRRE
have been the first to issue a manifesto on the subject
of the approaching elections. A manifesto, drawn up
by these gentlemen, and to which lf. GARNIER
PAGES, though absent from Paris, has given his adhe-
sion, was handed about for signatures on Thursday, at
the National Assembly. It is called the" Manifesto of
the Moderate Republic," and will be adopted by the
partisans of the late Executive Government. It
is supposed that about 60 Members of the Assembly
will sign it. This manifesto expresses the opinion of
the Moderate Republican party as to the principle
which ought to be kept in view at the elections. It
declares their complete adhesion to the Republic, as
founded by the Constituent Assembly, and promises
a loyal and sincere support of the PRESIDENT of the
Republic elected by the people. Homage is rendered
to the glorious recollections of NAPOLEON, whom the
people wished to honour in the vote of the 10th of
December. That expression of homage is considered
to show, on the part of MM. ST. HILAIRE, PAG-
NERRE, and the party of which they are the spokes-
men, an intention to join the Committee of pure
Bonapartists, of which NAPOLEON BONAPARTE is the
head, and which is making immense progress. NA-
POLEON BONAPARTE has, with the express sanction
of his cousin, the PRESIDENT of the Republic, ac-
cepted the office of President of the Committee.
The ilfoniteur du Soir confirms the announcement
of the proclamation of the Republic at Rome on the
Bth inst., and of the deposition of the POPE.
A violent shock of an earthquake was felt at Soling,
in the department of the .Jura, on the 3d instant.
BOURSE—PARIS, FEB. 16.
THREE O'CLOCI.—The rising during the present
week was so great that a large number of the specula-
tors are anxious to realise their profits. The conse-
quence to-day was, that many of the purchasers in the
early part of the week rushed into the market to sell;
a considerable fall on the closing prices of yesterday en-
sued. The news from Italy has also had its effect, but
not to any great extent. The railways participated in
the fall. Exchange on London (30 days), 25 25; dittu
(90 days), 25 20.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE

LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, FEB. 16.
Boulogne and Amiens, 10—Central of France (Orleans
and Vierzon), 103/4—Dutch Rhenish, 11/4—Luxembourg (7/.),
%—Ditto (101.), 1% ex int.—Namur and Liege, 8%--
.Northern of France, 93/4 Orleans and Bordeaux, 31/2_
Paris and Rouen, 19,h ex div.—Paris and Strasbourg, 3
Rouen and Havre, 12% —Sambre and Meuse, 53/4—Tours
and Nantes, 2% West Flanders (83/4), 13/4.