The Sun.
London, England, 1815-10-21 00:00:00

SPEECH OF TITV.K2T;PF.R.O"; TITF, SEALS.

_ .
Gr.aTLEM RN—the King has ordered ns to !ay before yoti. r.
• -1131, of law for the suppression of seditious cries and provo-
•. •
"-cations to rebellion.
• • " Our old and new' laws contain sufficient regulations • for
•'t be superession of these crimes in times of tranquillity, and
•*.isliesl no extraordinary circumstance iuterrupts the order and
.se4'etistorned proceedings of the Government. .Lint if guest
,limes have been corunditeoe if the lews haVe been disregard-
ed, if a peactettlle and disarmed multitude has been forced to
ti l'eld to riolowe and arms, if; for his own preservation, the ci-
tizen who was subject tothe'lawse has been forced to remain tho-
tienless before seditious batidsoyithout discipline ov emit ronl,
a%sseinhied as the last support of ndesperate 'faction; if iniquity
lists for Aces:tit of time enjoyed ity fatal triumphs, calamities are
st ill-prolonseed even when these events are interrupted. Rebels
then endeavour by mean's of audacity to recover their lost ad'-.
veotagese The seditious mutually instigate each other, and
l'ala...i•lforts to he perceived in all places," and .it .every hour,
es it cm On of a new rietory should. they succeed in inipi ,
in.:- terror. They receive into their society sill whom the ar-
teies have rejected with indignation, and all ilmse criminals
''Thf%; through obscurity, have evaded the actiiiil of the law-.
Should the public flee arrest the progress: of their design,
still they do not renounce them ; they have 'recourse tb
istjS-
a-Mils speeches :11111 calumnious writings; they have their signs
end rallying words, and the weaker their numbers are the
Ikii,re powerful they wish to appear by means of noise and to-
-melt. They are encouraged by impunity ; sevei-al spew them-
selves openly, and though their indiscretion' betrays their
sveidmess, it is nevertheless certain that their practices dis-
t alb social order; and the public interest requires that their
I,rlsolent designs and detestable enterprises should be effica-
cioasly repressed.
"'!'here are men whose moral conduct depends solely on
the fear of punishment. It is against these criminals, Who
forma the greater portion of the species, that our present laws
. sere in many respects unavailing,
" penal code does not express itself in a manner •
eichtly precise on the subject/of seditious cries and speeches
• Si tiding to instigate evinces agaitist the internal safety 'of
.the
State. That code could not foresee the attacks which might
Ito e.e.-ected against the Constitutional Charter, since the latter
did ;let exist When the cote was framed. Calemnious
puce ions, insults, and outrageous eepeessions, publicly of-
fe, ed to the Monarch, or the members of his family, were not
;milted among-crimes. The law only took cognizance of out-•'
a•eaes and violence directed against the depositaries of the
emhtle authorey, and insults and calnumies directed against
vriyate individuals
. .
• " But to the necessity of a positive law on these ;natters,
is joined that of a ',pertly pursuit, and a punishment, Which,
to serve us an effectual example,. most he inflicted promptly_
after the crime. Offences so frequent that. it is necessary-to
characterise thew, eddy he pursued coreeetionally e now, pit,
-suit in a correctional manuei-, is in its nature very speedy;
nd the andges are in general very neo• the spot in which the
crime It es been committed.' Tile plan of law which we lay
before y%.a, Gentlemen, has for its object different sorts if se-
ditlosts.actions, not noticed in the penal code ; cries, speeches.
.writings; which excite rebellion, calumnious imputations, in-
sults and outrageous expressions against the King stud his fa-
mily; and the • plan proposes to determine the purlishmeets
due to these-et:bees.
" We think it defines then) with precision. Cries, speeches.,
calumnit,t,' cannot be punished- but in the 'cepse of then pub-
' licity ; writings ashich.re-prtiduce, or, as•it may he said, mul-
. tipy these offences 'under atiotider form, acts which attack
publicly and wickedly the respectable. ensigns of the Royal
Ant ity,-ought to be equally punished.
" 'The same tile-creation applies. to different - ;Nets' ancl
speeches which derive their principal offensive character haute
present circumstances, and which teed to shake tiie
dence which is due to the promises of the King, and to the
constitutional Chatter.
" Witheat'doulit we should have considered the King and
his august 1-lore„e as, too highly elei-ated to be reached by
• calorntiy, insult, or injury, did not a long and grievous ex-
perienee teach us that these proccetings form the prelude ef
Yevolution and treason, anti that they tend, by destroying re-
*peet to underrnine the throne, a. d to diminish the venera-
?ion.and love due by so many claims to the Monarch for the
purpose of weakening his authority. Insults directed against
Lim ate offered to the State. They compromise the dignity
and safety of the nation. A system followed by calumnies and-
insults insensibly prepares minds for the development of the
most aboieinahlcedesigns, aftd at last, by means of spreading
'an- Opinian that an event cannot be avoided, becomes
inevitable.
" The punishments in the law proposed to you, are im-
% prisonment, surveillance under the, authority of the High
Police of State, Privation of the rights of voting, election, and
eligibility; and. qualifiratioh for public and administrative
functions or bearing apes.
• " The punishments ate correctional, beeause it is believed
that their immediate application, without' being injurious to
justice, will be still inure effectual than their extent.
‘• We have etiOaroured to proportiop these punishments
•to the nature of their crimes. Thus, we have supimsed that
he who`shall endeavour to excite tumult in the State, cannot
lusty pretend to exercise his. political rights; that he- who
disturbs the public order should be exeltaled, ,at least fur a
time; from exercising 'Millie functions; that he who threatens,
ley indirect provocations, public and private Safety, cannot,
without endangering the tranquillity of .the eitizena, obtain
the privilege of beating arms.
" We intend, Gentlemen, to read to you this Law Project.
It has been meditated he the King. The knoWledge and ex-
perience of the Chambers will give to it the necessary au-
' tinnily."

THE LAW PROJECT.
Louis, by the Grace of God, King of France and
Navarre, &c.
117-e have mile:led that the Law Pt...jeer, the tc-
-Dor of which follows, shall be presented in our
1-o,[ne to the Chamber of Deputies of the Depart-
ments by our Keeper tai the Seali, Peer of France,
and Coinit Portalisi‘Connsellor in our Council Of
State, to whoin we consign the char,e of
explain-
ing its matires• --and sustaining the discussion
tnercon, . • . .
Art. I. Are declared seditious all cries, all speeches, utter-
ed in public places, or such. as are allotted to the habitual
iii-Cetitig of citizens:- • •
printed papers, of Such not having been printed, which
pipit Imve-beeriiiosted up, sold; distributed, or delivered to
'the Presfi, sod which shall express the menace of" attach -
Iwainsi tbc life the person,-ot* the ant:lnuits. of the the
lifeticipet;on of' the Alembers of the RoY:ll.Farnilv; •
Which nay be injurious-or calumnious toratils-Itic King or ‘.
the :qv:utters of 1114 Fs"nly;
shall exritc to the.taking up. arms against the Royal
an-tliorty, to disobedience of the Constituticinal Charter, and
thk, laws, disregard of the authority of the Magistrates or
A .;•etits of. the Government, legaliy constituted, or to the dis-
tillliac:cc of public tranquillity by acts of violence towards
ptls.ons.and property; .
Ily which shall be involted the name of the Usurke, or of
an individual of his family, by which shall be provoked di-
rect indirectly, either the overthrow of the Government,
or a etringe if the order of suree,sioti to die throne.
Art. 2. '1 lie speeches (or writitsgi 'inentioiletl in the -first.
ellrme:of the preceding article. whether eiintaining indirect
o provcations. to the offences article,
in'the said article, or
ariMuncing that (it-in-10 or offebees of that nature
shoold r ought to be counnitttd. Or manifesting an intention
to commit them, are ritually declared seditious.
Art. 3. Arc guilty of seditious acts,-all persons who shall •
eirou;late or countenance. either alarms -coikerniiig the in,
violability of five property called - national, or 'reports of a
pretended re-establishment of tithes,• or feudal rights, or :ie..
contit:4 tc.nlin;* to alarm the citizens rcspecting the mainte-
' nanee'of the legitimate authoritie-g, or shalte their fidelity.
' .1- Arc 'declared seditious acts, ti:e rernoVal or degra-
ilattun of the. white flag, of the arms of France, and other
iigns of the Royal authority ; of placards of laws or public re-
gulitlions'i ;the erection' of any flag, or the wearing of any
cOc!“.fie, or any other-sign of rallying forbidden, or even nut
aatliurised by the King. •
Art. 5. All persons guilty of the aforesaid speeches, cries;
or acts—all authors, printers, and distributors of the sediti-
ous writings defined by the present law, shall be punished- by
- an imprisonment of at least three months, and not exceeding
five .• •
`Pit r,rsons thiWconvicted. shall further remain after the
• tApiration u 1 - Luca jpityisbnient, unUer the superintendence

of tht 'fiirt 'space of time, shall '--te
mined try the smitenceotnd Which shalt 'flOt exceed fire years,
the whoi.e.conformably to- ;Id Chapter ti: the Ist t!Ooll of the
Penal 0,4-e, without Aircjodice to the criminal Ttrosectition,
and application of the-more serious prmishments preseribed
hy the COde, in case of the seditious cries, speeches,
writings, and acts having certain effect.
The repetition of the offence shall be pitnisic-2(1 conformably
to the 58th Article of the• Penal Code.
Art. 6. The Tribunals of CorrectionalroliZe slmlttake cog-
nizance of the offences mentioned in the present law.
Art. 7. The dispositions,' of the Cotie of Criminal Process,
,and of the Penal Code,' shall continue to he execyttd in all
cases in which it is not supkrsz.icd by the etrtetnieuts..
(gigned) LOUIS.
(Countersigned) B.\ E MARDOIS.
Girco at Paris, at the Toiteric,, Oct. IG.

The Chanibei• ord.:2red that the I. PrOiOet
should be 'whited", in or:!cr that it might be dis-
tribiited and discussed iu the Bureaux on the,ficsi

sitting. ,
'File President read to the Chamber a iettei'
from the President of the Chamber of Peers, in-
forming him of the nomination of Messieurs Pas-
toret,2Deseze, Chateatihriand, and Choisseul, as
Secretaries of that Chamber.
• At the request of the President, M. Maitre de
Itiran ascended the Tribune, and asked permis-
sion tobe heard at the next Sitting, On a motion
relative to the regulation of the Chamber.
On the motion of Al. Gonicourt, 11. Bloudel
d'Aubcrs eves declared a Member of the Chamber.
The:Sitting then rose, and adjourned until to 7
morrow at noon, for the discussion of the Law
Project in the Bureaux.