The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-26 00:00:00

THE FRENCH FLEET.

The Dover correspondent of the Daily News, writing
last night, says :---" The French fleet from Cherbourg
passed up Channel to-day about noon. The fleet con-
sisted of eight ships of war, and was accompanied by a
couple of steam tenders. The vessels passed Dover
about four miles from the shore, under steady steam,
and were last seen steaming along the back of the
Goodwins."

THE MOVEMENTS OF THE FRENCH ARMY.
The Official Journal says : —`• Contrary to the in-
terdiction of the Government, certain journals
continue to give news of military movements
to the great detriment of the national cause. The
Government hoped that its appeal to their patriotism
would have been heard, and it would regret being forced
to apply the law.

Temporary Suspension of the Mail Service froM South-
ampton to New York.—The North German Lloyd being
unable, for the present, to provide steam vessels for the
conveyance of mails weekly from Southampton to New
York, the mails for the United States, which have
hitherto been made up in London on the morning of every
Tuesday, will not be despatched until further notice, and
all mails for the United States will be forwarded by the
Cunard or Inman packets.

AFFAIRS IN PARIS.
PARIS, SUNDAY.

M. 011ivier's latest " liberal " procedure has been rapidly
consummated. On Thursday the Corps Ldgislatif
passed a Bill giving the Executive full powers to pro-
hibit, as they may think fit, the publication of news re-
lating to the war. This measure is a most formidable
and complete engine of tyranny. Its wording is so vague
as to be, like many other Imperial measures, of abso-
lutely boundless application. The punishments for in-
fringing the Ministerial decree are severe. A fine of from
£2OO to £4OO may be inflicted for the first offence, and in
case of a repetition the sinning journal becomes liable to
six months' suspension. Plainly, then, by the passing of
such a bill, the Government has baen entrusted with the
power of completely silencing the press on the subject of the
war. And, not only has the Government obtained the
power, but it has begun to use it. Yesterday appeared
in the Journal Officiel a curt decree, signed by M. 011ivier,
and conveying the short and sweet information that hence-
forth is prohibited the publication of any account whatso-
ever of the movements of troops, and the operations of the
land and sea forces.

As it stands, this odious measure, the work of a " con-
stitutional Government," is worthy of anything done in
the most restrictive days of the Empire. It has excited
universal suspicion and discontent. The French jour-
nalists and politicians are not very exacting in the matter
of publishing intelligence ; they do not claim that absolute
liberty of giving everything to the light which the
English press has so long enjoyed. It was conceded in
the Corps Legislatif on Thursday, and the press generally
assents, that some restriction should be laid down. But
here is absolute prohibition. The Journal Officiel
will publish a bulletin of events, and the
Public will have to content itself with whatever
this report may contain. It may not unreasonably be
anticipated that the official bulletin will excel neither in
quality nor quantity. It will not tell much, and the pub-
lic is certain to disbelieve what it says. The dis-
closures of the last four days have more than ever
weakened the faith of the French people in official
records of events. Nor could a certain measure of
freedom be prejudicial. Harm may be done by di-
vulging the position of troops and the like ;
but nothing can be lost by the description
of events some little time after they have taken place. If
a battle be fought at Sierck, say, and the French win,
the seat of operations would be at once transferred some
miles into Prussian territory, and the narration of what
happened at Sierck could have little or no bearing upon
the subsequent transactions. Of course much depends upon
the rigour with which the decree is enforced and the atti-
tude of the press itself. Meanwhile the papers almost
all condemn M. 011ivier's decree. The Journal de Paris
says that the proprietor of the Journal Officiel will be the
only gainer by this proceeding. The Avenir National
planly says that the Government will have France know
nothing but what it chooses to tell her. The France
holds that the enforced silence will be found in
practice ten times more inconvenient than the
worst indiscretions which the press could com-
mit. " Under existing circumstances the silence
of the journals means unnecessarily prolonged anxiety of
families who have relatives in the army ; it means carte
blanche for strategists in cafes and dealers in false news."
The Liberte, which has been one of M. 011ivier's warmest
supporters, says that the Premier is now judged, and that
his condemnation will be speedy and decisive. The
Debats expresses a hope that the Government will not
press their power too far. The Siecle does the same.
Owing to this decree, and the inactivity on the frontier,
the journals wear the most lamentable appearance. A
long account of the " Marseillaise " appears in the Figaro ;
another paper has a history of Prussia's growth as a
nation—a fine topic to excite fervid wrath; and a third
yet devotes itself to patriotic exhortations.
The Emperor is still here. He presided at a Cabinet Coun-
cil this morning. The Patrie says it has received important
news from Hanover. A levy, en masse, has been ordered,
for the purpose of preventing the Hanovarians from
rising in favour of the French, by de-
priving them of all • their able bodied men.
The levy gets on very slowly, adds the Patrie,
and we may expect great events in Hanover in the course
of the next month. We certainly need some restriction
on the publication of such gross untruths as this.
Another paper rays there is great enthusiasm in Denmark
n favour of France. Popular feeling there will soon con-
strain the Danish Government to take side with the
enemies of Prussia.

THE FRENCH FLEET.
CHERBOURG, July 22.

The fleet is ready, and more than ready, having been
under steam for three days. The vessels could weigh
anchor and be off in less than an hour, and the crews are
not to be allowed to land again. Matters have, in fact,
only been awaiting the arrival of Admiral Bonet
Willaumez, who made his long-expected appearance this
morning, and paid a semi-official visit to the fleet, of
which he will take full command to-morrow.
He is a fine, vigorous man, devoted to a sea
life, but with little of the traditional brusquevie
of the sailor. He has obtained some distinction in his
profession, having become known through his expeditions
to Senegal, and also for his labours in the improvement of
torpedoes and other articles of maritime warfare, while
naval prefect of Toulon. He has also contributed some
very good articles on the French navy, and on Battles by
sea and land, to the Revue des Deux lifondes. After the
departure of the fleet, the next consideration
will be the providing of transport ships for the
troops. Two of these are ready, but more will
be required, for every day fresh detachments of
Marines arrive at Cherbourg, numbering altogether about
8,000 men. General de Vassoigne, who is to inspect
them, and afterwards take the command of the corps, is
expected to-morrow. The delay in the arrival of Admiral
Bouet-Willaumez, and the tardy organisation of the
Marines, at one time gave rise to a rumour that fresh ne-
gotiations had been opened, and that there was a
chance of peace. Equally unfounded was the
report that there had been a naval engagement
between the Imperial and the Prussian ironclads off the
coast of Holland. The only French vessel of any note
now afloat is the Hirondelle, which is charged with the
duty of surveying the squadron of Prince Adalbert.
Nothing has been heard of the Hirondello for some days,
so it is concluded she has followed the Prussian vessels to
the Baltic. According to some accounts the marines when
fully enrolled will amount to 15,000 men.

M. BENEDETTI.—M. Benedetti was born, the son
of a Greek father, in Corsica ; and in 1848 was Consul
of France at Palermo. On the Continent he is re•