The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-16 00:00:00

of 215 to 27, the project of law, authoring the return,
under certain circumstances, the caution money de-'
posited by the railroad companies. By this Bill, so
soon as a sum equal to double the amount of the se-
curity money lodged with Government shall have
been expended upon the railway, in the manner re-
quired by law, then the Minister of Public Works is
empowered to return to the companies the caution
money deposited. The Journal des Minds considers
this a very insignificant attempt at remedying a great
evil. It says—
" The Chamber of Deputies, in its sitting of yesterday, 1'
discussed and adopted the Bill relative to the restitution
of the caution money of railway companies. A year
ago, when such questions were brought before the Cham-
ber, they caused perfect storms. Yesterday the assem-
bly gave only a distracted attention to the Bill under
discussion. It was because this Bill is only an insigni-
ficant palliative to a very grave situation, which every
one in the Chamber knows, and which no one would
resolutely touch upon. Yes, the situation of meat of
our great railway enterprises is grave. That is unhap-
pily notorious to everybody ; there is no danger in
saying it; on the contrary, there would be in not eve wing
it loudly. If a prompt remedy be not brought, the work
pursued by the country during numerous years, and
which has already cost it so many efforts, this ilicessant
object ot so many wishes fr to one me of the kiegd, m to
the other, will fied 'teen', if not cumprernised, at last tr.-
definitely delayed in its most esseutiel parts. Theie are
companies which have undertaken notriug, which hake
not struck a single blow with the pickaxe, ant,. teleett
will certainly dissolve themselves, if an aleration be
not made in the condition, imooeed upon them ; they
will prefer, with reason, a liquidation which will be less
onerous, even with the loss ot their caution vackeey, than
the enterprise itself. There are others who have, on
the contrary, pushed forward the first works with great
activity, and whose shares have undergone a notable
depreciation ; if those companies do not stop their
works, they will be under the necessity of conduct-
ing them with prudent slowness, because their share-
holders will be unable to pay up calls too close upon
each other. All, in short, or almost alt, are soliciting
the revision of their contracts from the Government.
What will the Government do ? Such was the quea-
tion which preoccupied the minds of the Deputies of
the Chamber during the discussion, and which now oc-
cupies the attention of a great many persons out of the
Chamber. To do nothing, absolutely nothing, with-
out distinguishing between the most important
and those which are less important, would be a
deplorable resolution. We hope that such is not
the intention of the Minister of Public Works.
A belief that it is not, is also, without doubt, enter.
tained in the Chamber, for two or three orators went
there to oppose the favourable dispositions which they
suppose the Government entertains with respect to the
companies. It is true that those orators are the eternal
enemies of railways ; they are those who maintained
that the Northern Railway ought not to be conceded for
more than eighteen years, that the Lyons Railway would
find a company to take it for twenty years, and that the
companies with such conditions would make immense
profits ; they are those profound statisticians who found
the estimates of the Government exaggerated in the
chapter of expenses, and understated in the chapter
of receipts. They may attribute to themselves the best
part of the errors of the country, with respect to the
railways, and by consequence the sad reaction cf which
we are witnesses. That ought to render them somewhat
circumspect. But circumspection has never been a virtue
of the Opposition, and it appears that it is now
a virtue exclusively reserved to the Govern-
ment. We will say very explicitly our opinion on this
important question: it seems to us impossible to do
nothing to ameliorate the situation of railway enterprises.
Solemn contracts would have to be changed, and we
know that that is a serious matter; but is it not also a
grave thing to see the most important line of our rail-
ways menaced with an indefinite adjournment.? No one
would seriously give such advice, and still less would
any one concert to accept it. This is not assuredly to
say, that all demands must be admitted. Those recom-
mended by a great public interest must be received, and
nothing else thought of. Many other considerations, at
the time the laws on railways were under discusssion, influ-
ence the decisions of the Government and the Chambers;
they ought to disappear. The circumstances are grave
enough to cause a renunciation to to be made of the
weaknesses and complaisance of preceding days. It is
besides easy to say after what principles the demands of
the companies ought to be appreciated; it scents to us
that it should be first of all ascertained if the line for
which assistance is claimed be one of those which should
be made quickly, and afterwards if the changes demanded
are necessary to the prompt termination of the line.
Now, no one will deny that the execution of the great
line which goes from Paris to Marseilles, which
is to join the Mediterranean to the Channel, is not of
superior and urgent interest, is not an affair of State
of the first importance. his line must be made,
meat be made promptly, must he made at every price.
A day lest is an irreparable fault. It is certain that it
the Government and the Chambers do nothing for this
great line, a notable fraction, that from Lyons to Avig-
non, will be made in the tereek Calends, and that the
first which gees from Paris to Lyons will be long delayed.
This result is not possible. It would be a oiegrace t.
our time, and a grave responsibility for the Chambers.
It is possible, besides, to conciliate the interests of the
Treasury and that of the companies. But where would
be the harm if onerous embranchments were adjourned?
Would it not be better to postpone the execution of an
embranehment than to postpone all?"

General MANnia. DR LA CONCHA arrived in Paris
on Monday, and immediately announced his arrival
to Queen CHRISTINA, through the Spanish Charge
d'Affaires. He signified to her that he came in a
private, not in a public character, and was received by
CHRISTINA at ten o'clock on Monday evening.

The letters patent naturalizing MuNoz, Duke of
Rianzares, as a Frenchman, and conferring upon
him the title of Duc de Montmoro, were enrolled in
the Cour Royale on Monday. We congratulate the
nobility of France upon this honourable accession to
their ranks.
The Countess of BRESSON and her son arrived in
Paris on Monday.

It would appear from the following article, which
appears in the Presse, that CHRISTINA, finding threats
of no avail with the new Spanish Ministry, is about,
as a last resource, to try coaxing and flattery. It
says—

" We cannot know exactly what may he true or et-
agerated in all the symptoms which produce so great an
agitation. What is evidenns, 'that the friends of order
are in consternation, the Progressists joyful, that the
journals of the Ministry appear greatly discouraged, and
that the Herald°, naturally not very timid, and which
does not cry for help without grave motives, foresees
deplorable events. All the parties, each one taking its
own point of view, fear, desire, doubt, and hope. What
is most remarkable is, that, in the midst of this agitation,
all eyes are turned towards the Ministry, and that, every
one hoping to make it serve the accomplishment of its
projects, no one thinks of openly opposing it. This
state is intolerable, and at the point at which things are,
everything may be conceived. The Ministry should take
some step, fur, since the dismissal of the persons who
surrounded the Queen, the Progressists affect to take the
defence of the Government, and to applaud its tendencies.
These are mere tactics, but we must not allow it to be
believed that these congratulations are accepted in the
sense which is given to them. It is the more important
and urgent for the Ministry to explain itself on account
of some of its acts and certain rumours which would ren-
der a longer silence very significative."
The same journal again announces that it is ex-
tremely probable that the Emperor of Russia will
visit Paris in th-t course of the summer.

The report of the resignation of the Greek Minister
is, it seems, at least premature. In the Uhamber of
Deputies he had a majority of 20 on a question in-
volving the character of the Minister of Finance.
It was reported in Paris that France would furnish
Greece with the money to pay the debt due to England.
The Courrier Francais publishes the following letter
on the subject of the differences between Greece and
Turkey

" The following details respecting the facts which may
have occasioned the report of the downfal of the
Colletti Ministry I guarantee to you to be authentic.
It appears that after the receipt of the di,pitches fry m
Constat.tinople, containing the ultimatum of the Otto.
man Government, a Cabinet Council was called, and
M. Colletti declared that •he -could, not accept such
conditions without dishonouring himself, and that
if any other person could devise means to arrange
the difference suitably, he was ready to withdraw.
In this state of things Sir E. Lyons visited the King.,
and after having depicted the situation as exceectngly
grave, recommended him to apply to M. Mavracordato.
The King sent for that gentleman, and inquired what
system he should propose to follow in case he was placed
at the head of affairs. M. Mavroctirdato replied that he
was of opinion that it would be well to yield, and that he
saw no inconvenience in the return of M. Mussurus to

Athens. The King observed that that diplomatist was
in continual hostility with his Majesty's Government,
against ;which he was constantly starting difficulties;
that in a short time another difficulty would arise; that
such a state of things was not endurable, and that he
preferred vital]; an end to it at once, M. Mavrocordato
then withdrew, and there the matter rested. It was
thought at Athens that the King, notwithstanding his
feeling towards M. Coletti and his administration, would,
in consequence of the demands of England relative to the
debt, be obliged to sacrifice him. At the date of the last
news there was only one French vessel of war at the
Piraeus, and M. Piscatory had sent an express to the
commander of our station to request him to concentrate
his forces there."

The Siicle has the follovcing on the differences be•
tween the Ministry and the Committee of the Cham-
ber appointed to examine the estimates for Algeria :

"We have noticed the differences which have
arisen bAween the Ministry and the committee on the
extraordinary credits demanded for Africa. The Mi-
nister of Wor, having called upon the committee to take
into consideration the communication which he had re-
ceived on the proposed expedition into Kabylia, has sent
bKtuhaeniecnkognnatoaltethnuoeett committee the decision which M. Dufaure,
the President, had transmitted to him. He declares, in
iihialeiCtnontivdnicsmitel,udtshtwaibtteht htcihosendsei cdiesrioedn
supreme isacso illegalmn mulalcommand
and
the army."

Vite report which we. mentioned yesterday, of the