The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-04 00:00:00

THE MIRROR.

As a pendant to the sketch of General Cavaignac,
which appeared in the last month's Mirror, we have
in the Mirror for November a sketch of Thiers. As
the writer justly observes, " except in the instance of
his father, slander itself can find no shade in the pri-
vate character of Cavaignac; but unhappily 'she has
another tale to tell of Monsieur Adolphe Thiers,' and
not slander only, but truth and justice must ever
brand the character of Adolphe Thiers as that of the
most utterly unprincipled and selfish man that ever
route qui route serpentined his way up to riches and
power." He never attached himself to a cause, a
' principle, or an individual that he did notsubsequently
betray, and here we have clearly narrated the
whole story of his brilliant, but most un-
worthy career. The number opens with a
paper on the "Progress of Revolution," which is
from the pen of one who has evidently deeply studied
the subject, and whose opinions are, therefore, en•
titled to at least attentive consideration. We entirely
agree with him in opinion that the European revo-
lutions are as yet far from having attained their ulti-
mate development, and that while England, Switzer-
land, Belgium, and Ilolland, from having begun the
career of reform in time, will escape the fiery flood
of revolution, and pursue their even and pacific
course towards complete constitutional freedom---'he
other states of Europe, including even Russia
of
are destined to suffer from the shocks
tfirst,repeated
insurrections, which, unsuccessful perhapsat can only end in the destruction of despotism and the
establishment of Constitutional Liberty. French
Revolution in February was no
mere The
outbreak of an
armed mob about a dinner, as it has pleased certain
of the supporters of the cause
of corruption to repre-
sent it :
" To those who called to mind the history of the late
monarchy, the record of its follies and its crimes, who
remembered the condition to which it reduced the
French nation, to what a state of abject servitude that
nation had fallen, into what confusion the finances of the
empire had been plunged; how its commerce lied
been shackled, how its foreign relations had been
complicated,—to those who. recollect these filets,
it could not appear surprising that the pateinee
of France should at last be exhausted, and that it
should, weary of injury, at last rise and hazard all in a
struggle with the reigning powers. That struggle was
sudden, short, and decisive; the people overthrew their
monarch, drove away his ministers, and once more as-
sumed the imperial power—a power which had been
confid dto a king, had been betrayed, and was now
taken back to be placed in more worthy hands. The
revolution was a shock. The French were startled, if
not stunned, by the recoil of that blow which had
crushed all the reigning powers; and it is not surpris-
ing that they should have, for a moment, stood gazing
in bewildered surprise at the results of their own act.
But this irresolutian was of short duration; the forma-
tion of a Provisional Government was as prompt as the
fall of the monarchy was sudden. The world is well
acquainted with the history of the Republic since its
establishment in February; and now, within eight
months of that event, we observe the French nation
calmly deliberating on the-ehoico. of a constitntion.---A
few accidents have occurred, a few tumults have taken
place, and seine misf)rtunes, and, perhaps, a few crimes,
remain on tho record of these eight months. Wa do