The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-30 00:00:00

[BRITII MUSS.]

The only intelligence of any interest in the
French Papers of Saturday, Morning and even-
, ing, which came to hand last night, is the report
of the proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies,
a translation of which we have given in another
column. It appears that the French Ministry
are not contented with the overwhelming ma-
jority which they have obtained in the elec-
tions--_a majority which affords the best com-
ment upon the corrupt influeuce of the Crown,
and the enslaved feelings of the people, they
are even anxious to drive from the Chamber
the few 'liberal and distinguished Members
who have heretofote given a slight tone of
freedom to the French -Opposition. In our
yesterday's paper we noticed the paltry exception
to the admission of General Foy. This point
was merely technical, and the question was ad-
journed till the 26th, 'when, however, the Ge-
neral was admitted, and the ministerial party
transferred their petty malignity to another dis-
tinguished member, Mr. Benjamin Constant. It
was objected to this Gentleman by a M. Dudon
that he was not a Frenchman ; it seems that M.
Constant was born at Lausanne in 1767, and is a
descendant of a French PrOtestant ancestor, who
was compelled to quit France in 1605. M. Du-
don insisted that N. Constant, not having ob-
tained letters of naturalization, was inadmissible
to the Chamber ; whilst the latter contends, that
by the law of December, 1799, he is declared
to be a Frenchman. That law is couched in
the following terms :—" Every person re-
lated in any degree whatever to those who were
exiled on account of religion, are declared natural
Frenchmen.' In 1791, the claim 'of M. Benja-
min Constant's father, to be received as a French
Subject, was admitted by the Municipal Council
of a provincial town, and till the present unwor-
thy and despicable effort, no question has ever
risen as to the full and perfect right of the Libe-
ral Member to the privileges of a French subjeCt.
The discusiion on this question was carried on.
with great animation during the sittings of Fri-
day and Saturday, but we have tint yet learnt
the decision of the Chamber. This proceeding
is as curious as it is contemptible, displaying at
once the base spirit of the Chamber, as it is now
constituted, and affording the plainest indication
of the hUmiliating conduct which it will hence-
forth pursue. If these things do not cause the
French people to look about-them, they deserve:
to be both laughed at and ensiaved.

• [NEvr TemEs.]
We have received the Etoile of Sunday, which
is nearly filled with the debate of Friday and Sa-
turday relative to the admission of the new De-1
pu ties, who, as our Readers know, cannot take
their seats till they have stibmitted to' a Cotn-1

mittee the necessary proofs of their eligibility.—
Some years ago we noticed the fact, that the
great leader of Opposition in the French Cham-
ber of Deputies was a Swiss ! As if there were
not native Liberals enough in France to ad-
vocate their cause ! For some Sessions Mr.
Benjamin Constant (for that is the Deputy's
name) sate undisturbed ; but at length his
nomination has been formally attacked.—lle
admits that he was horn in Switzerland, and
that his ancestors had lived there from the year
1605 ; but he cites a law of the Revolution,
passed in 1799, which declares that any descend-
ant, however remote, of a person exiled from
France on account of religion, shall be considerd
a Frenchman. To this it is replied that the M.
Constant who was exiled in 1605 was not exiled
on account of religion, but for the political crime
of conspiracy against the State. To us, we own,
this dispute appears not very material, inas-
much as the Chamber of Deputies owes its
origin to an Ordonnance of Louis the Eighteenth,
published together with the Charter in 1814,
which expressly excludes from the Chamber
of Deputies all foreigners who shall not have been
naturalised by the King himself ; assigning as a
reason, that no man should sit in a French Legis-
lative Chamber whose birth
did not guarantee his
affection to the Sovereign and to the laws of the
State, and who
had not been nurtured in the
love of the country
from his cradle. We recol-
lect in 1798 a M. Constant de Rebecque (a
cousin of M. Benjamin, we presume) ob-
tained restitution of some property captured
by an English cruiser ; and that he ar-
gued he was not a Frenchman, but a Swiss.—
The Constant family seem a little incvnstant in
their patriotic affections ; and we do not see how
the King's Ordonnance of 1814 can be controuled
by a Republican law of 1799. The discussion,
however, is not yet closed ; and the voile con-
tains little else of moment except the account of
the death of the Duchess of Lucca. Prince
Frederick of Orange is said to have paid a visit
to Rome, where be arrived on the 10th instant.