The Sun.
London, England, 1824-01-15 00:00:00

EBRITISFI PRESS.I

Political tyranny and persecution are almost
as busy in France, under the sway of the mild
" Louis the Well-beloved," as they, were' at any
period of the despotism of Louis XIV., or his
Profligate grandson, whose reign was a COM.-
Potthd of the most outrageous tyranny and dis-
gusting debauchery. The Charter is now,
in fact, a mere sounding scroll ; each suc-
cessive Ministry has made new, encroachments
on it. More than nine years have passed
since the wandering Bourbons were unexpect-
edly recalled to the splendid throne o; their an-
cestors, and the tolerant Louis granted to France
apaspsed in hicknliticalwCo somenstitutil new Constitution not a year has
attempt has not been
made on the Charter,.until it is at length a mere
thing of shreds and patches. Richeiien,Villele,
Chateaubriand, all in succession have aimed their
weapons at it :

" 'Twasliere the well-beloved Brutus stabbed ;
See.vihat a rent the envious Casca made!"

As the elections approach in France, the most
Unjustifiable attempts are made on the personal
liberty of the Opposition. Deputies. M. Kcechlin,
the patriotic Deputy for the Upper Rhine,
has
already
.been .a d igkm n, confounded with
felons, for four months, and he is now threatened
with the same fate again. Eight months have
passed a w ay.since-this Deputy, with his colleagues,
M.d'Argensnn Bignon and the younger La Fayette,
addressed a letter to their constituents on the me-
morable expulsion of the undaunted Manuel ; and
for this letter, at such an interval, they are now
summoned before a criminal tribmial• If, as
the Gonstitutionnel well remarks, this letter can
be construed to be reprehensible now, it surely
must have been so when first written. Eight months
have passed since this letter was Circiflated IhroUgh
France ; during a .great part of the time these
Deputies have sate in the Chamber ; and at the
.
close of such an interval it is now tortured into
a criminal offence, notoriously to impede the pa-,
triotic deputies in their election. While the
Chamber sate-, not a' sentence was uttered im-
puting any criminal. intention of this sort, and
the question is now only raised when the Depu-.
ties of the Upper Rhine are again.about to appeal
to their constituents, with the strongest chances of
re-election. The object -evidently must be. to
embarrass them by a prosecution. They cannot
be rendered incompetent by any criminal pro-
ceeding that may be taken,but there may be a pos-
sibility of defeating their election by flinging a vex-
atious prosecution of this sort in their path. The
object for dissolving the Chambers seems to be
to get rid of both of the most violent Ultras and
the leading members of the left side, if possible,
and thus procure a Chamber which be in a
great degree passive in the hands of the present
Ministry, and give no opposition to the policy
by which France is now governed.

FIltE.-Yesterday morning, about one o'clock,
an alarming fire broke out in the premises of Mr.
Welwyn, in Mercers-row, Shadwell._ It was
first discovered by Mr. Welwyn, who was awoke
by the bed furniture and bedding, in which he
had been sleeping; being in a complete blaze.
It was with the greatest difficulty that, in a state
of nudity, he escaped the fury of the raging ele-
ment unhurt. From the prompt assistance of the
parish and other engines the devastation was con-
fined to Mr. Welwyn's premises.