The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-03 00:00:00

SATURDAY EVENING,

vernment relative to the establishment of councils of
prud'hommes, it had been considered advisable to intro-
duce an additirsal article to meet the special cases which
existed at St. Etienne, Lyons, and some other places.
Referred to the Committee on the original Bill.
The President—The Committee appointed to consider
the demand made for leave to prosecute M. Louis Blanc,
has directed M. Jules Fabre to state to the Assembly
what it has decided on.—(Great attention.)
M. J. Fabre declared that in this most important ques-
tion the Committee had come to its resolution by a ma-
jority of 15 votes to 3. The Committee had devoted the
whole of the day before to the most mature considera-
tion of all the documents that could enlighten it in form-
ing a correct judgment; it had heard the statements and
explanations of the law officers of the Republic, and had
called before it M. Louis Blanc himself, who, in addition
to viva voce explanations, had presented a printed excul-
pation of his conduct; it could therefore declare that
the opinion which it was about to give to the
Chamber was most truly and conscientiously motive d.
The Committee had been first of all struck with the cir-
cumstance that the National Assembly had not in its
regulations provided for such a case as the present, and
that, in fact, the authorisation which had been demanded
was not contemplated in any of the enactments which
the Chamber had as yet adopted relative to its own con-
stitution. It appeared as if the Assembly had thought
such enactments superfluous, being, by its position,
above all courts, or institutions, or law ; representing as
it did the sovereignty of the people. Its inviolability,
therefore, though not written down, and proclaimed in
express terms, was very evidently implied by the very
nature of its existence. And as the whole Assembly,
collectively, was thus inviolable, so each Member
in his individual capacity shared in the privileges of
the whole body. Hence the demand fur permission
to prosecute a Member appeared to the Committee
the only course that could have been adopted in
Chamber.l Whenthe present to suit the dignity due to the
the committee had thus decided that
athe a
courseadopted was the only correct one, it turned it
attention to examine whether the officers who had made
the application could have been by possibility influenced
by any party purpose—any partial views—any other mo-
tive than a conscientious desire to forward the end. of
justice. The committee. after interrogating these gen,
tlemen_after having considered the evidence already
after having carefully weighed the proofs
lotisp and devotedness to their pro,
•
a obtai- '

_always exhibited, 'had
conclusion that nothing but an
,o.
imperative sense of fluty bad influenced these
officers in making their demand, The committee
had, throughout this delicate inquiry, felt that
the representative against wheel the demand
was made was not an ordinary member, but one
alike remarkable for his historical labours, and for
having shared the dangers and tell of the Provisional
Government. Th.9•Assembly on Wednesday bad up.
parently taken the same view of the case, since it had at
once decided that a special committee should he nomi-
nated to report on the demand, The Committee had
felt that such a mark of confidence called for more than
ordinary attention on its side, and it was only after it
had made every possible inquiry that it had come to its
conclusion, If, in a case of such great importance, the
Assembly should evince any unwillingness to allow oue
of its Members to answer the charge made against
him, and should found a refusal on the inviolability
of its representatives, the Committee thought that
such a course might be the cause of a certain
disconsideration of that high body in the eyes
of the country. Looking at all these mo •
tives, the purity as well as the cogency of the
reasons allepd by the law officers of the Republic, the
necessity for the Hon. Member himself, who was incul-
pated, to set himself right before the country, and the
duty of the Assembly to be careful as to the character
of its representatives—the Committee considered that it
performed its duty to the Assembly, and to the country,
in recommending that the authorisation demanded by
the law officers of the Republic, to proceed by criminal
process against the Citizen Louis Blanc, should be ac-
corded.—(Great agitation.)
The President—What is now to be decided is whe-
ther the discussion is to take place at once, or on a later
day.—(Cries of " To-morrow," " Monday," " At once !")
M. Larabit from his place—Considering the granting
of the ease, I think the report which we have just heard
read should be printed and distributed, so that we may
be better able to form a correct opinion.—(Hear, hear.)
The Marquis de Mornay thought that the fairest man-
ner of proceeding would be to allow M. Louis Blanc
himself to fik the day when the discussion should take
place.—(Loud cries of " No, no l" and great agitation.)
After order had been somewhat restored,
M. Louis Blanc assended the tribune, and in an agi-
tated voice said—ln the presence of a system which
appears to me disastrous, and against which I can
only protest, I think it my duty to abstain from any
further remark.

The Assembly here evinced great emotion and CGDSi-
derable disorder, some crying out for one day, and others
for another.

The President then successively submitted to the vote
of the House Tuesday, Monday, the next day (Satur-
day), and the present moment, for the discussion.
The Assembly fixed the next day (Saturday) ; decid-
ing.at the same time that the report should be printed
and distributed to each Member.
A long agitation followed this scene, and the sitting
was suspended for some minutes.
The Assembly afterwards discussed the proposition
of M. Pleignard for the best manner of discussing the
Bill on the Constitution (it tends to have a sub-com-
mittee formed to send in a preliminary report), and
adopted the articles.
M. Billault, President of the Committee on Finance,
read the report of that body on the financial position of
the country. He. declared that, above all things, the
Committee wished to recommend the utmost fidelity to
all engagements previously entered into.—(Loud cries of
Hear, hear;") The immense quantity of work had
left an immense burden on the country; but the Com-
mittee felt confident that the surplus of eleven millions
announced by the Minister of Finance would, with pro-
per economy, be found a correct calculation. The Hon.
Member then entered into an examination of all the dif-
ferent sources of revenue, and the probability of their
affording such returns as had been estimated.
The Committee decided that question in the affirma-
tive. It then recommended, as a primary step, in order
to have confidence restored, to have the Bons du Tresor
converted into Rente, at a fair price. He concluded, by
proposing that the holders of Bons du Tresor should
have the faculty of converting them into Five per Cent.
Rente at 70f.; the depositors of the savings banks also,
the Bons du Trlesor which they had received into Five
per Cents., at 70f.; and the Minister of Finance should
be authorised to place the necessary amount of Rente on
the grand libre.
M. Duclerc, Minister of Finance, could not agree in
all the conclusions of the Hon. Member and the Com-
mittee. He could declare that the Government was
perfectly able to pay all the coming charges on it for
the three per cent. dividends, the pensions, &c. The
Committee of Finance nad recommended the above mode
of disposing of the Government funds, he thought, too
lightly, and had, in fact, in his Opinion, usurped a
power which did not belong to it.—(Cries of " Oh, oh.")
The Hon. Minister here entered into details to prove
that the Government could not at present carry out
in full the measures recommended. Alluding to the
railway question, he declared that the Government
was fully determined to take possession of them, and
that it considered that step as the point de depart of its
policy.—(Movement.) The discussion to be
The proposition of M. Pietri to abrogate the decree
fixed financialhefter.
rearelative to the banishment of the Bonaparte family
was brought forward, and after some discussion it
was proposed that, as the Bill had been already vir-
tually abrogated by the revolution of February, and
the fact that the Bonaparte family were now in France,
the proposition should be withdrawn as unnecessary.
This was under discussion when post hour arrived.