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

THE 711 SUN,

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. Net
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-
lianlent, 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
swuopuelrafieunonsusetofroma
dwell upon the
vast advantages
communicationhich
which
wouldcompletion
by 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 connexicn
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 correapondent has evidently studied
his Virgil to some purpose ; the " Georgics" have
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

;o 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.

THE 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 falling 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 Aloniteur
contains no announcement that either M. D PAL-
Lout or General RULHIERES hare returned their
several portfolios.
. _

A paragraph in the Patric 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•
bers of the Cabinet, on the occasion of the letter of the
President of the 'Republic to Colonel 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 gare to this letter his entire approbation."
Although the word communique subjoined to this
piece of intelligence scemed 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 illoniteur

"The note published by the Pattie was not communi
catcd 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 altogetber non-official,
and excluded all idea of publicity.";
From the foregoing it is evident that a decided

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

tion, that as vet not one of the Ministers has met
the eh illenge thrown out by the organs of the
Opposition, to cover the respoLsibility of Lours
N APOLEON 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 arnsz2ment 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 ccpy of the document having been at once
forwarded to Gaeta by one of the Cardinals of the
Commission of Government, that copy w 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
other 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 HOLINESS having approved of this resolution,
the fact was at once announced to Mgr. FORNART,
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. PORNARI had an interview with
the PRESIDENT of the Republic on the 7th instant,
but far from protesting against what had been done,
never so much as alluded in any way whatever to the
letter. All that he did duri •g theofintrerview sN'as to
remit tothtoe
tiPiertnrs6rtnifiacNaxtiotnheorrfegypt
ri
JO‘cietu. Papalv r n r. Go-
vernment,lE_ 'snomination to the portfolio of Foreign
PRESIDENT appeared surprised at ths silencelr,Ts.bhutohne
his side also never touched on the subject.
in-
terview was an exceedingly brief one, consisting
merely of the presentation of the reply just spoken of;
and the civilities d'usage. . _

The Holy Father's -determination to take up his