The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-22 00:00:00

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.

We have received the Paris papers of Saturday and
yesterday.
At the conclusion of the sitting of the National
Assembly on Friday, MM. ARMAND MARRAST and
BETLIMONT were elected Vice-Presidents of the
Chamber.

On Saturday the Assembly met at twelve o'clock ;
M. SENARD, one of the Vice-Presidents, in the chair.
M. Degoussie stated that the Assembly had invited
the questors to choose a distinctive mark, to be worn by
the representatives at their sittings, and in great solem-
nities, when the representatives were obliged to appear
in a body before the people. The questors had agreed
to adopt a special tricoloured riband, with the fasces
of the Republic, surmounted by a hand of jus-
tice, which they proposed to the Assembly to
wear at their usual sittings in order to prevent
strangers from entering the hall. They, moreover,
recommend the adoption, for great ceremonies, of a
tricoloured scarf, similar to that worn by the represen-
tatives of the people during the first Revolution. M.
Degou4e observed, that it was very light and could
easily fit in the pocket. The scandal of the 15th of May
(added hme )a
yms at br ea
raise
itspe aht ee
d; sedition,c
um althoughsta n ces Np'arne:
Ciseunisthtehdemselves in which the representatives of the peo-
ple may
.have occasion to place themselves at the head of
the National Guard to protect the Republic, and it was
indispensable consequently that they should be distin-
guished by some badge.
The Chamber adopted the insignia recommended by
he
r questors.
President read
of the PasadtotheA de Calaisssembl Assembly letterte
dst ierl n:grd:h''its hl)eP
i
ni
"Denissel,
resignation as member of the Assembly. n.
M. Denissel having risen, declared that the letter was
a forgery, and on his demand it was sent to the Minister
of Justice, to institute proceedings against the forger.
After several notices had been given by different
Members,
M. Dabeaux demanded that the decrees of the Pro-
visional Government—of which he did not question the
legality—should. be submitted to revision by the Com-
mittees of the National Assembly, which would give
them the legal sanction. Several courts of justice, fcr
instance, refused, he said, to recognise the abolition of
arrest for debt, and continued to apply that penalty,
M. Cranieux, Minister of Justice, was of opinion, that
the House could not deliberate on such a proposition.
The Hon. Mover, he said, appeared to have forgotten
that the Provisional Government had been invested with
its powers by the entire people, and that all its measures
had been inspired by public reason and the wants of the
country. Those decrees were laws executed by the
courts of justice, and he did not know of a single instance
in which they had been disobeyed. The revision of
those decrees was impossible. There were two decrees
certainly of which the Assembly could not pronounce
the revision—the one proclaiming the Republic, and the
other instituting universal suffrage, in virtue of which it
existed. The Assembly had the power to reverse and
modify all the laws and decrees of the Provisional
Government, but their revision, he repeated, was im-
possible.
The proposition of M. Dabeaux was rejected.
M. Ducoux rose and said, that on the 15th, when the
factious forcibly entered the Legislative Hall, the As-
sembly expected to learn from the Government what
attitude the young Republic had assumed towards foreign
Powers. He did not wish to compromise it by any in-
opportune discussion; but as the foreign question greatly
contributed to maintain uncertainty in the public mind,
he thought such a discussion would tend to remove it.
The press, for instance, mentioned the conclusion of an
offensive and defensive alliance between four great
Powers; he had reason to believe the report unfounded,
but its contradiction would have greater weight in the
mouth of one of the members of the Government. lie
accordingly proposed that the interrupted discussion on
the affairs of Poland and Italy be continued on Tuesday.
M. Lamartine replied that the Provisional Govern-
ment had not hesitated an instant with regard to the
attitude the Republic should assume towards foreign
Powers. He was happy to state that none of the sinister
provisions entertained at the time had been realised,
and when the fatal invasion of the Legislative Hall took
place on Monday he was ready to give the Assembly all
the explanations it desired, being fully conscious that
the measures the Provisional Government had resorted
to would meet the approbation and calm the apprehen-
sions of the country.
The Assembly afterwards decided that the interpel-
lations relative to Poland and Italy should be resumed
on Tuesday.
The President next invited the representatives of
the people to meet at seven o'clock the next morning in
their hall, to proceed thence to the Champ de Mars; and
the Assembly adjourned.
The Minister of Commerce and Agriculture has
addressed the following circular to the Prefect of
Paris :

" Citizen Prefect,—My first and most unceasing pre-
occupation in the Ministerial department confided to me
shall be to insure the supply, at the cheapest possible
rate, of the provisions most necessary to life. The
present situation of industry, of which the Republican
Government will contrive to neutralize the perils and
repair the disasters, renders that necessity still more
pressing. The state of the country is completely re-
assuring. The crops of 1847 were excellent; the
prospects of 1848, and in particular the winter corn,
are brilliant; the meadows are highly promising, and
unless disasters occur which cannot be foreseen, agri-
culture will reap this year abundant fruits, and will
provide for the wants of the people excellent and nume-
rous herds of cattle. Tranquillity and security every-
where prevail. Let us avail ourselves of it to guard
against evil days. Let freedom of trade be organized,
and ever be pure of the culpable excess of speculation.
" Nevertheless, these hopes, however reassuring they
may be, do not diminish in the least your duties and
mine. You will accordingly insure everywhere the
of grain and cattle, protect transac-
tions,enlighten citizens relative to their real interests,
free passage
and provide supplies of food at the cheapest possible
rate.

"In the fulfilment of that patriotic duty you may rely
on the cu-operation of the Government; mine shall never
be wanting to you in the application of the measures
necessary to maintain, for the benefit of the people,
abundance and security.
" The third report on the crops of 1848 will, you
know, reach me in the course of the monthof June, when
the wheat is in flower.
I wish you to add to the indica-
tions it usually contains an approximate return of the
number of hectares sown for the said crop, including
" autumn and spring sowing.
Moreover, in future, all documents of that nature
must be accompanied by partial returns prepared by each
of the mayors of your department, or any other docu-
ments having served as the basis of the reports you are
to forward me. If, at the period appointed to send those
reports to my Ministry, you should not have received all
the information you demanded, you must not defer the
transmission of the first, but forward all the documents
that may have reached you at that date, and subsequently
complete them by transmitting those that may after.
wards come to hand.
" Health and fraternity.
" FERDINAND FLOCON,
" The Minister of Agriculture and Commerce."
The illoniteur announces that M. FLocoN, Minister
of Agriculture and Commerce, is making arrange-
ments for the cultivation of the waste lands and the
general amelioration of agriculture, and that the
rights of all agricultural labourers and the workmen
in manufactories, &c., will be "democratically appre-
ciated and satisfied." It is also stated that important
modifications will be made in the law as to workmen's

!tyres, the coalitions of workmen, and the labour in
manufactories. M. FLocoi has addressed a circular
food,
power a to promote
to
report th et free
him cir-
culation
oon
the prefects of the departments desiring them to
ir
f
o
d o e yery tohf
articles
gt
etsh
oe
the means of agricultural improvement.
The Bureaux appointed to consider the projet de
loi for extending tke interdiction of the soil of France
at present existing as to the members of the Bourbon
family of the elder branch to the family of Louis
PHILIPPE, met again on Friday. Prince NAPOLEON
BONAPARTN, son of the ex-King of Westphalia, op-
posed the measure, declaring that exile is a useless
precaution, as it generates conspiracy, and almost
excuses it. Nobody, he said, could attribute to him
any sympathy in favour of a family which, in his
view, had caused the misfortune of France since 'B9,
but he thought it his duty to declare that, in his
opinion, Louis PHILIPPE and his family ought to be
left in the oblivion in which the catastrophe of Feb-
ruary 24 had plunged them. M. DONATIEN MAR-
QUIS went further, and stigmatised the proposition as
a mark of weakness. Exile was, he thought, a hurt-
ful measure, and contrary to the spirit of order and
conciliation so necessary for the establishment of the
Republic. The Republic ought to show its strength
by admitting all pretenders from whatever quarter

they might come.
This may be all very humane, but it is scarcely logical
or prudent. If the soil of France be not interdicted to
Louis Primirri3 and his family, then, to be consis.
tent, the Assembly must repeal the law interdicting
it to the family of CHARLES X.
M. EMILE DE GIRAEDEs has announced himself as
a candidate for one of the vacancies in the represen-
tation of Paris to the National Assembly. He de-
clares himself " firmly, sincerely, logically republi-
can," says that " he understands the Republic like
i e
FRANKLIN—he does not understand it without
WASHINGTON," and adds that " if be be wrong in not
understanding it like Citizen ROBESPIERRE, and
Citizen LEDRU ROLLIN, he requests that he
may not
be nominated.
The C onsti tutionnel bas the following on the unac-
countable neglect, to use no harsher term, of the Ex-
c u
bravatiy National Committee
G u
Guards
sh honour
fellu r theon
remmoanindsay last of os
those
defending the Assembly against the Anarchists
: n
" All the journals yesterday published pie following