The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-28 00:00:00

FRINCE.

CONTINUATION OF THE SITTINGS OF MONDAY.
M. Guizot.—The Chamber is convinced of the nem:
city of the present measure, but dreads the results. Ar.
not seeing clearly its consequence, it dreads seeing the fee
tification become an instrument in the bands of anotie •
kind of policy, a turbulent and warlike one, instead of
peaceful policy, friendly to civilisation and tranquillity.
This is the cause of the perplexity of the Chamber.
would be inexcusable to deceive the country on so grave
matter. We would not have accepted this measure as
heritage of the last Cab'net, if it were fraught with sect
dangers. The measure, I repeat, is a guarantee of peac:.
It was not we alone, it was Europe, which, since leee
had adopted defensive policy, and conducted heel; cc
cording to this view:, Everywhere, in Germany especially
all the towns of the frontier wore fortified, for defence,
and against invasion, and even at this moment, in the tries,
of the excitement of late events, what idea pre-
vails in the Gerraanic Confederation ? Nothing but s
system of defence. The fortifications of Paris will hay.
the effect of lessening the hopes of bestile armies, Enid oe
tranquillizing the population of France. Wars of inv.:-
sion have beer, talked of, but in the present day wars of
invasion are wars of revolution. If the object of this mei.
sure be really attained, if Paris be truly fortified, you ei
have placed the revolution of July hors de cause in Humps
and you will have placed Europe hors d'etat to renew' tee
great coalitions of 1814 and 1815. Do you remerels •
what wits said then ? It was said that it was L...,
against France, but against its Government that ene
was carried on, and that by removing the Govern
malt you would remove the danger,—(Sensation.
E rope requires to be tranquillized as to the eesineeniee
%tech it supposes France to have for war. Happy will
be by such a measure at the same time to transit:line .
Eu-ope, and maintain the feeling of national dignity. ft
has been said that it is necessary to repress revolutieeere
passions by the passions of patriotism. Ido not thine
that patriotic passions are the best rampart againit revs_
lutionary passions ; the best ramparts against revoletiote.,
passions arc the institutions of order and the good organ:
zation of the Government: these, Gentlemen, are the Ire
guarantees against turbulence. An objection has be,'/-
made to the expenditure which this measure will Quasi°.
It is said that it will be considerable ; so much el..
better. I wish that we had two, three, four capitals 1,.
fortify. _(Sensation.) J. attach great importance tot!
moral effect of the conduct of a Government over the mi.."
of the people. M. de Larnartine, io his speech t.,n this b;?1,
accused to be deeply impressed with the approbation giveli
it by parties whose principles differ so widely; be coze'ed,.
that they hoped to turn it to their owe profit. lam not
opinion 're that the will be any such result. We see the.;
in all cases extreme parties make such attempls ;' tbis
the case in the elections, in the press, and in the
Guard. But is this a reason, (tt:ntiirne.n, u:
the Chamber, the press, and the National Guard ? Oh no
Let the extreme parties do their best, let them
themselves on every occasion, and on every occasion the)
will be beaten. Let the law of elections take its course
d its effect ; let the National Guard act, let the Dcput:
seeak, the press write, and the fortifications of r.,11/1 1.)-:
;:ecutniplished. Extreme parties would entle..vour to turn
ail to profit, but their efforts tv,:t.i'd rcb)und urtm them
selvcs Tl3ey ,ill attempt the esine course fur the lon
lut they will fail as they have done up to the pre-nein. E
assureu. Ge,lletnen, tuat in a great country honest a
sensible men will always be inaers of the ground ; be r_
sured that in all questions in the elections, in the Netien
Guard, they will know how, with one spirit and one min
to aphold the system of conservatism and peace, whit.
has for ten years bccn our glory and our safety.
M. Garnier Pages raid he could not allow the last ex.
pressions of the Minister to go without reply. I declie
from my place that I belong to one of the extreme parti:
which M. Guizot combated. In my opinion, honest ms
are those who say boldly what they think, whether in t
National Guard, the Chamber, or the elections; what
brouillons, as M. Guizot called the men of extreme pr.
tics, were in reality those who make a great noise is a;. -
position, and say precisely the contrary of this noise whe
they get into office. Do not, therefore, invite extren
parties to a conflict. You have accomplished the missic
which you undertook from the moment of the dircussic 74
on the address. You have attempted to tranquillize E:
rope, but you have net tranquillized the Chamber. I de as _
think Europe stood in need of tranquillizing. I know net
that it was not against Europe that-this Bill was presente
Reasons could never be wanting to so clear a person as ef.
Tbicrs. 11i Carnet declared that his father was against the
fortification of Paris. But let M. Thiers alone, and he
will soon find in Carnet's papers some passages in favour
of them. Ho maintained that the fortifications of Pare-,
instead of keep* the enemy at a distance from the ce.
pita!, would attract him ; it was to be feared that in ca:,
of a reverse the army would fly to Paris;not to defend in
but to be protected by it. The opinions of Napoleon ht‘.,:r
I been cited on the fortifications of Paris. Would you is.
made acquainted with that opinion of which the praote:
itself is worthy of being pointed out to you ? I v
not take i; from an authentic writing, bet from one of tee
bulletins of the grand army, from a bulletin of the 25a
May, 1809. You will see the opinion of Napoleon, est
great cities, on respite' cities fortified. Ile is speaking
the siege of the oi. of Vienna, and you will see be tres.
the project of fortifying a large city as the most fokili
enterprise that could be undertaken. This is what
says on the subject, in a bulletin which I find lit tee
Moniteur The report was general in the country they-.
all the entrenchments which surrounded the capital wene
fortified. Redoubts had been constructed. The People
without occupation, even the turbulent, were for defence.
The emperor could hardly believe that they could have
determined on so foolish an enterprise. The Archduke
Maximilian bad opened registers to enter the names ef
those who wished to defend the city. Vienna contain:
three hundred thousand inhabitants. There were thine
names inscribed. At nine o'clock in the evening, twenty
pieces of artillery, commanded by General Bertram;,
commenced the bombardment ; 1,800 shells were thrown.
and the city was soon in flames. It is impossible, without
being an actual witness of it, to conceive the disorder
which took place." This then is what I find in tee
31oniteur, in the most striking bulletin of the f; and
Army. I would not, therefore, that the French
should be made to slumber in a deceptive security. T
siege of Genoa has been spoken of ; it has been said that
that period the city contained 150,000 inhabitants ; that it
a mistake. There were only 75,000 souls in the place. Bet
to defend by regular fortifications a city containing a it:elfin .
of inhabitants is what Napoleon would call the rr.cht
foolish of enterprises. This, Gentlemen, was what Napo-
leon said in me. (M. Gamier Pages, in finishing the
reading of the bulletin, dwelt upon the expressions which
so energetically stigmatised the conduct of a Government
barbarous enough to deliver to the horrors of a siege a
m.pital, the centre ef the riches and the civilisauna of the
country.) We have heard, continued M. G,rnier Pages,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, point out, with greet
cl.lirness, the expense which the fortifications of Par;
would cause ; he has told you that the planrof the Ministe
of Fin,,hoe would be ample for the purpose; but the Mini.
ter t f Finance did cot, however, reply in the affirmethe
or my own put, I know that there is not money eriosi,,,