The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-11 00:00:00

TT[E S T 1

blight an enterprise of so much promise, but
that no stone would be left unturned on

the part of the directors to procure the
necessary amount of capital from private sources,
It was therefore., with feelings of interest, and in
anticipation of perusing some satisfactory intelligence
on this head, that we looked for the report of the half-
yearly meeting of the company. This meeting was
held at Waterford on the 30th of last month, and the
directors " expressed a hope that the completion of
the line to Waterford was not far distant.". Expressed
a hope ! These heavy-bottomed gentlemen may
depend upon it that if they calmly squat themselves
down in the easy chair of Hope this is not the last
occasion on which no dividend will be declared. Not
a syllable was vouchsafed as to whether a loan was
likely to be got, or even whether any negotiations
had been set on foot to procure one. If anything had
been really done, why not say a word to cheer the
shareholders and vindicate themselves ? No man of
common sense can suppose that applications properly
preferred for that purpose, could have been hopelessly
scouted in every quarter. There is either gross
negligence or absurd mistification. "Allusion was
made to a project recently broached—namely, to get
up a new company to make the line from Clonmel
to Waterford, presuming the old company unable to
do so. The directors of the latter showed themselves
hostile to the new proposition, and it is not to be
followed up at present." Now we feel pretty
well assured that the presumption of the inability
of the original company is based on a solid foundation,
and that if they are to be allowed to prolong their
sleepy rule, only giving evidence of vitality by a
waking fit every six months for the purpose of saying
nothing—affairs will keep going on from bad to worse
till they finally attain the vanishing point. We
should be very sorry to use the precise terms em
ployed by CROMWELL in turning out the Rump Par-
liament, but we do say to the present congregation of
incapables, " Get ye gone ; give place to abler men."
What are the intelligent people of Waterford or
Clonmel about ? Is the " urbs intacta" fallen into
that state of leaden lethargy which seems
to oppress all cathedral towns, and is " sweet
Clonmel " infected with the like lassitude ? The
whole affair transcends our comprehension. It were
superfluous to dwell upon the vast advantages which
would ensue from a completion of the communication
ley rail between the cities of Limerick and Waterford
to the rich and populous intermediate country ; but
let the admirable position and accommodations of the
latter port be considered for a moment, and what can
be said in defence of the listlessness of its mercantile
inhabitants ? A river, varying from twenty to ninety
feet in depth at low water, navigable at all times of
the tide, and of great width—a line of quays, ranging
upwards of a mile, and capable of considerable exten-
sion—a city, the natural market for a populous
district, containing six large towns and several
villages, and by situation the point of direct connexion
with South 'Wales and the southern counties of
England, and the proper opening up of whose port
would enlarge the market whence they can most
rapidly and most easily obtain their Irish supplies of
corn, butter, and bacon,—these and several consequent
features of importance, daily declining in value from
the facilities of carriage which now induce both
buyers and sellers from the above-mentioned localities
to frequent the markets of Dublin and Limerick in
preference to those of Waterford, their natural centre
—and yet, good easy people, they sit in stolid satis-
faction, and the directors " express a hope" that all
will be right some fine morning ! 'What the upshot
of affairs may be we care not to predict, but of one
thing we feel perfectly assured, that under the present
constitution of its directory, the completion of the
Waterford and Limerick Railway is not to be
expected before the Greek Kalends.

Elsewhere in our impression of this evening will be
found a communication upon the subject of drainage,
which is eminently deserving of the attention of agri-
culturists. Our correspondent has evidently studied
his Virgil to some purpose ; the " Georgics" havill
proved to him a text-book strikingly suggestive.
Doubtless the subject would have admitted ad-
mirably of extension to the compass of a
pamphlet; but the writer has manifestly, in con-
densing it into the brief and readable proportions of
an article in a public journal, been solicitous to
obtain more readers by making a smaller amount of
pretension. Besides, he might well have called
to remembrance the sarcastic dictum of Mr. DISRAELI,
that ",everybody who publishes a pamphlet knows that
nobody reads it." Much might be said by ourselves
in further illustration of the argument advanced by
our correspondent, but for the present we shall rest
contented with simply drawing the particular atten-
tion of the public to his suggestion, leaving himself to
be his own advocate and the unaided exponent of his
own ingenious opinions.

rtiE FRENCH REPUBLIC,

The Paris journals of yesterday have been received.
Everything seems to indicate already that the letter
of the PRESIDENT to M. E. NEY is effecting, if it has
not actually at this moment effected, an estrangement
among the different members of the Administration
The present Cabinet is evidently filling to pieces;
and even now the rumour is prevalent that the
Ministers of War and Public Instruction have sent in
their resignation. As yet, however, the Moniteur
contains no announcement that either M. DE FAL.
LOUX or General RULMERES have returned their
several portfolios.
A paragraph in the Patrie of Sunday night cer-
tainly appeared to the following effect :
•• Several journals have stated that the Minister of
Public Instruction had quitted Paris in consequence of a
profound disagreement between him and the other mem•
hers of the Cabinet, on the occasion of the letter of the
President of the Republic to C,,lonel Ney. These
journals are ill-informed. M. de Falloux was present
before his departure at the Council of Ministers, at
which the President communicated his letter. M. de
Falloux gave to this letter his entire approbation."
Although the word communique subjoined to this
piece of intelligence seemed to intimate that it was of
a decidedly official character, such a supposition was
altogether removed yesterday morning by the appear-
ance of this explicit contradiction in the columns of
the Moniteur :
"The note published by the Paine was not communi-
cated by M. de Falloux ; he could not have authorised
the terms in which it was drawn up. The letter of the
President of the Republic was altogether non-official,
and excluded all idea of publicity."'
From the foregoing it is evident that a decided

difference of opinion liss arisen in the Ministry, and
that to this difference of opinion is now added a sense
of double-dealing, if not of actual intrigue.
_ Another circumstance must be borne in recollec-

tion, that as yet not one of the Ministers has met
the challenge thrown out by the organs of the
Opposition, to cover the responsibility of Louis
NAPOLEON by any official approval of his proceeding.
Besides the divisions caused among the statesmen
at Paris by the letter of the PRESIDENT, its
publication has excited the utmost pain, and if
the truth might be told, the deepest indignation both
at Rome and Gaeta. Letters from both these places
express the amazement caused by the language of
Prince Louis NAPOLEON. By the 28th ult. his
HOLINESS was made acquainted with the letter ad-
dressed by that personage, to one of his aides-de-
camp. A copy of the document having been at once
forwarded to Gaeta by one of the Cardinals of the
Commission of Government, that copy was laid before
the Holy Father by his secretary, Cardinal ANTO-
NELLI. All that Pius IX. did, on reading it, was to
fold his arms and look up to heaven for a few moments ;
then handed back the letter to the Cardinal, without
uttering a word. The first impression of the POPE
appears to have been rather astonishment than any
otter feeling.
.

A deliberation of the Cardinals assembled at Gaeta
took place on the following day, the 29th, when they
arrived at the following important decision :--That the
Papal Court ought not to take any notice whatever of
the letter in question, but ought to act as if it was
ignorant of its very existence, and for this reason,
that the document had no diplomatic character, being
simply a confidential missive from the PRESIDENT of
the Republic to one of his orderly officers.
His HoLftiEss having approved of this resolution,
the fact wa, at once announced to Mgr. FORNARI,
the Apostolic Nuncio at Paris, for the guidance of his
conduct when in communication with the PRESIDENT
or with any one of his Government.
Accordingly Mgr. Foarunf had an interview with
the PRESIDENT of the Republic on the 7th instant,
but
far from pro'esting against what had been done,
never so much as alluded in any way whatever to the
letter. All that he did during
the interview
oftiie rapal was Goto
remit to the PRESIDENt the
reply _
eernment to the notification of M. DE TOCQUEVILLE'S
nomination to the portfolio of Foreign
s.
Ai Mars. The
I PRESIDENT appeared surprised at this
eLetnce,,rbut on
his side also never touched on the sub
terview was an exceedingly brief one,° conshisetiinng-
merely of the presentation of the reply just spoken of,
and the civilities d'usage.
The Holy Father's determination to take up his