The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-10 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1870.

DAY by day " the balance of the Empire " be-
comes more heavily inclined against the fallen
r4gime. The secret correspondence which the
Princess MATHILDE had so nearly carried off to
England, but which the Provisional Government
seized at the very nick of time, has thrown fresh
light upon the late reign—if, indeed, such a word
as light can be applied to revelations which are all
darkness and foulness. It is known now that
the EMPEROR, at the time when, in defer-
ence to public indignation, he was announced

.o have handed over the command of the army to

Marshal MAcMAIioN was secretly retaining the com-
mand, and giving directions to M. RouttEß, the
Minister who had been driven from power a year
ago. It is known that the disasters which over-
whelmed the army through the incompetence of the
Minister of War and Chief of the Staff, Marshal
LEBCEUF, were the result of the appointment of a
man who had no other claim to his position than

his relationship to the EMPER on's Mistress.
It is known that at least one high fun-

tionary of justice acted as the ambassldor
between Madame BELLENGER and her Imperial
paramour, and that the intrigue resulted in the
investment of the lady with a fine chateau. It is
known that the Mexican war was undertaken in
great measure in order to secure the payment of cer-
tain bonds in which one of the EMPEROR'S chief
Ministers had largely invested. It is known that
bribery on a large scale was . practised in order to
secure the support of unscrupulous journals
both in England and France, and of noisy
politicians like the CASSAGNACS. It is known
that a whole tribe of imperial cousins were
supported out of the public funds. Lastly, it is
known that two years ago the venal friends of the
empire were alarmed at its condition, and believing
that a war which would give the Rhine to the
French people was the only way of saving the
regime, forced the EMPEROR to undertake the cam-
paign which has ruined not only them and him, but
the whole of France. These revelations of the last
few days are scarcely revelations so far as Paris is
concerned. The truth had been pretty accurately
guessed. It was known, for instance, that Ministers of
State, and the EMPEROR'S most trusted friends jobbed
on the Bourse, that the press was subsidised, and that

the elections to the Corps L6gislatif were scandalously
corrupt. Therefore, it was as the author of the
article in the London Quarterly Review on " The Fall•
of the Second Empire," has remarked, that the dis-
astrous news from Sedan, instead of rediming the
capital to despair, was received with rejoicing.
Therefore it was that when it was announced that the
Empire was overthrown, Paris, even though the army
had capitulated, was en fete. For as the Scripture
saith "when the wicked perish there is shouting,"
and this is true of bad institutions, no less than of
bail men.

We do not wish to judge the EMPEROR harshly.
Wo are ready to believe that when he first entered
France, after the revolution of 1848, he desired to
rule France for her good, and not exclusively nor
pre-eminently for his own. We are not blind to the
tact that the Empire has bestowed some advantage
upon the French nation; that there aresonie items to
be placed to the credit side of the account. It is
something for a Government to have endured in
France longer than any since 1789. It is something
that France has been covered with new roads

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