The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-07 00:00:00

taken. The men who are to be gent from the capital

are to g) in divisions of 200 each, and are to receive
an allowance for their expenses on the road.
A decree of the Minister of War, dated the 28th
ult., calls into active and immediate service the
80,000 men forming the contingent of the class of
1847. M. LEON HOODE, recently Commissary• G-
eneral in the Ariege, has been nominated Prefect of

that department ;and M. RECQUIR, who was Com-
missary. General of Lozere, has been appointed Pre-
fect of the Herault ; M. AUBERT has been appointed

Prefect of Corsica.

M. TIMERS has been returned for Rouen.
The National Assembly met yesterday, and it will
be perceived from the following report of its pro-
proceedings, that several important matters were
brought before it. The Finance Committee reported
against the Railway 13ill and the Executive Com-
mittee presented the Budget for 1848.

The sitting commenced at half past one.
CL cruieux was present, and took his seat on the
extreme right, exactly oppo-ite the Alinisetial benches.
M. I;uclu z that before he deli%ered over the
chair to the successor which the Assembly had given
him, he wish,d briefly to sum up what had been done
during file tiate he had presided over its lal:ours. The
Republic had been solemnly proclaimed, the Exkeutive
Committee nominated, LIM regulations to guide their pro-

. -
ceedings fixed, and the standing Committees appointed,
of which two wire of an exceptional character—that iyn
finance and that on labour. Nothing had, in fact,
more characterised the labours of the Assembly

than the attention paid to the various subjects con-
nected with the condition of the labouring

Thus, an inquiry had been ordered through gut France
into their position; the councils of prud'h names had
been instituted, and the state of the national workshops
had become the esptcial object of attention. The As-
sembly had also fixed the nature of the foreign relations
with other states. When the Assembly had first met,

only the United States had acknowledged the Republic,
hut since then the Italian States, Belgium, and Spain
had followed •hat example, and no doubt the rest of
Europe would soon do the same. Such having been the
case,the thought that it would be admitted that what had
been dune was not unworthy of a great nation. All
that now remained for him to do was to thank his friends
around him for all the kindness that they had shown
him.—(Hear.)
M. Senard, the new President, then took the chair,
after the usual accolade had passed between him and
his predecessor. He thanked the Assembly for the
honour which they had done him. The Republic re-
quired large, noble, and generoes institutions, and the
acts of the Assembly showed that it was cb-tertnined to
pursue such a line of conduct as would lead to that de-
sirable result. But what was principally necessary was,
that they should all march together, that there should
be a unity of will and great energy in carrying out their
objects. Hitherto a certain agitation and irritability
had been exhibited, such in tact as was inseparable
from the commencement of the labours of a deliberative
assembly. This, he hoped, would now cease, and greater
gravity and order mark their sittings. The lion. Pre-
sident passed a high eulogium on his predecessor, and
concluded by expressing his determination to do all he
could to merit the high honour conferred on him.
M. Fayet, Bishop of Orleans, complained that it was
impossible to hear one-half of what was said in the
Chamber, and' that. it was really very unpleasant
to be obliged to wait until the next day, to see
in the Moniieur the real state of the question on which
they had voted the day bofore.—(Leughter.) Some-
thing certain ought to be done in the matter.
A short discussion here ensued on the subject, from
which it appeared that the matter had been very seri-
ously inquired into, and that the theatre of the Tuileries,
the old Chamber of Deputies, and the old Chamber of
Peers at the Luxembourg had been severally examined.
It was at last thought that the old Chamber of Deputies
would serve best, when some alterations had been effected
in it.
M. Flocon, Minister of Commerce, declared that he
was in favour of the Tuileries as the locale of their deli-
berations. That building had been long used for pur-
poses with which the people were not concerned; it was
time that it should be shown that it was now under the
national sovereignty.
It was eventually decided that a Committee should be
appointed to consider the question.
M. Duclerc, the Minister of Finance, brought forward
a Bill to fix the budget of 1848. It declares that the
ordinary and extraordinary credits for that year, which
were fixed at 1,738,000,0001. are augmented for certain
matters by 12.000,0001., and reduced in others by
71,000,0001., which leaves a definitive reduction of
58,000,000 f. The credits for the year, therefore, are
fixed at 1,680,000,000 f. in all. On the other hand, the
resources, ordinary and extraordinary, of 18-18, which
had been fixed at 1,670,000,0001., are augmented in
certain cases by 126,000,0001. and reduced in
others by 111,000,000 francs, which leaves
adt finitive augmentation of 15,000,000 f. The receipts,
therefore, should be fur the year 1,685 millions. [We
give these figures iu round numbers, confining ourselves
to millions. It would appear by this statement that the
budget is to show an excess of 5 millions.]—Referredito
the Finance Committee.
M. Bineau—l have to present the report of the
Finance Committee on the Bill to authorize the Govern-
ment to take possession of the railway lines. The con-
elusions of the Committee were exceedingly simple :
they ran thus Taking into consideration the various
motives brought before us, we have to recommend the
National Assembly riot to adopt the Bill."
M. Leon Faucher had to call on the Assembly to dis-
cuss as soon as possible the proposition lately presented
to convert the Bond du Tr6sor and the money in the
savings' banks into Five per Cent. Itente at 70f., or the
price of the day. He should propose Thursday next
for the purpose, as the matter was urgent, the financial
position of the country being most dissatisfactory. Toe
Honourable Minister of Finance, in bringing forward
his Bill relative to the railways, had not thought fit to
state to the Committee what were his resources to meet
the claims which must be made on him in consequeeee
of that measure. For his part in finance matters, he
did not understand why these were to be secret. Some-
times a case might certainly arise to warrant a mo-
mentary secrecy, such, for instance, as had occurred
in a neighbouring country, where a great Minister
kad kept silence on his plans for raising up the finances
of the country, both as to his resources and his mode of
execution. But the present position of France presented
nothing of a similar nature ; the whole question was to
know how the state was to pay its engagements. France
was proceeding rapidly to a national bankruptcy, and
yet the Government sat quiet on their benches, and did
not even condescend to say what they intended to do.
This was the more necessary from the distressed state of
commerce. Confidence ought to be restored, and cer-
tainly the conduct of the Government did not appear
likely to restore it. He and the other members of the
Committee had done their duty in bringing forward this
subject before the House. They had satisfied their re-
sponsibility—it was now for the Government to meet
theirs.—(Loud cheers.)
M. Gamier Pages said that the reason of the delay
was, that the very nature of the Bill brought forward
was considered likely to cause a fall in the public funds.
The Government had kept silence, because if its plan
was declared, as the Bill spoke of the conversion of
other securities into Five per Cent. Stock, a fall in that
security would, in all probability, take place. As long
as the matter was secret the funds remained
with little alteration, no one knowing what
might be decided on. lie did not want any
great delay, tor the plan would be almost
immediately made known ; but he must request the
Assembly not to allow itself to be borne away by the as-
sertion of gentlemen from that tribune—assertions
which, he must say, were exceedingly exaggerated.
Before the disussiou on the proposition of the Committee
came on, the Government wished to have the railway
bill brought forward, as, it the proposition should pass,
it would have the effect of sending down the Five per
Cents., and thus rendering the task of the Government
more difficult in the railway bill.
M. Jules de Lasteyrie must maintain that the Go-
vernment was altogether too careless of the interests of
the country. Here were the holders of Bons du Tresor
and depositors of savings banks kept out of their money,
and nothing done to relieve them. It was a Committee
which was obliged to take the first step. The Hon.
Deputy dwelt for some time on the dreadful position or
the finances, and the little appearance of the Govern-
ment doing anything to change the situation.
The Minister of Finance could not allow that the ex-
pressions of the Hon. Member were well founded. He
had joined together the two subjects of the Buns du
Tr6sor and of the savings' bank, and if they were of
little importance, the latter were certainly far more im-
portant—(Oh, oh, and marks of surprise)—as the holders
of Bons du Tresor, for the most part, were excessively
rich.—(A tremendous burst of disapprobation greeted
these words.) He had to pray the Chamber not to
attach more consequence to his words than they merited.
All:would certainly be paid in the end, but the savings'
banks first, as not a person who held Buns du
Tr6sor now suffered.—(Loud denial.) The Govern-
ment had thought most deeply on the position of the
country, and had even been about in a few days to
propose a measure to pay the depositors of the sav-
ings' banks in part. As to the complaint that he
had kept his secret as to his plan relative to the rail
ways, he had done so certainly, and he rejoiced that
such had been his line of conduct. The reason why
he had done so was that the Government had about
it plenty of persons anxious to hear what was in-
tended, in order to go and speculate in the funds. He
had to declare that whenever the Assembly called on him
to speak—to divulge the secret alluded to—he would
do so at once, but not before, and for the reason which
he had just alleged. The proof that this reason was
good, was evident from this fact, that on the day when
Billault had brought forward the proposition to con-
solidate the Buns du Tr6sor, although the proposition
was presented at four o'clock, the result was discounted
et two o'clock at the Bourse, by an improvement in the
firm of the Buns de Tresor of 7 per cent. Ile would not
lend himself to such acts!
M. Bereyer inveighed in the strongest manner against
the dilatory conduct of the Goveeneuent in the financial
matters of the country.
M. Gamier Pages observed, that France must un
doubtedly do honour to her engagements, and he then
declared that, with a little energy and a little good will
1 from all, France, would decidedly Whit every demane
against her.
M. Billeult supported the views of the Minister. .
Toe Minister of Finance again answered some of the
objectiene brought forward, and concluded by calling on
the Assembly to adjourn the proposition until 'Jeer the
railway hill had been disposed of. lie did so, Ist, be
cause it would enable the Government to give imuiediate
employment to many thousand workmen on the wieral