The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-14 00:00:00

plea of lunacy must be pleaded in bar to the in-
dictment, that is to say, when the prisoner is
called upon to plead guilty or not guilty,
he shall plead lunacy, whereupon a jury shall be im-
pannelled to try the question—" Is the prisoner of
sound mind ? ay or no," such question to be
decided irrespective of the circumstances relating to
the crime with which the prisoner is charged, and
that if the jury find be is of sound mind he shall be
called upon to plead to the indictment ; but that in
no case after a prisoner has once pleaded to an indict-
ment shall it be competent fur the defence to raise
the question of lunacy or no lunacy. By the adop-
tion of some such provision as this, the real lunatic
would be more effectually protected, whilst the sham
lunatic would not be permitted to escape from justice ;
and we are satisfied that, ere long, the public safety
will require the enactment of some such provision as
that which we have suggested.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We hare received the Paris journals of Saturday
and yesterday.

Tim Coma tutionnel of Saturday contained the fol-
lowing announcement:—

" It-was announced last evening that General Bare-
guay d'Elillters is replaced in his command by General
Castellane. General Carrelet is to resign the command
of the first military division, and replace General Cas-
tellane at Lyons. General Baragusy who is
*offering from an affection of the liver, is about to pro-
ceed to the baths of Aix, in Savoy."
General BARAGUAY D'HILLIERS gave a very dif-
ferent account of the reason of his dismissal. He
stated to several persons on Friday, that he had been
deprived of his command because the PRESIDENT VMS
desirous of conferring it on some General who
was not a Member of the Assembly. This
statement, which seemed to portend some ar-
Here pensoe on the part of the PRESIDENT,
coupled with the fact that General CASTeL-
LANS is known to entertain the most supreme
hatred and contempt not only for representative but
for civil government, and that be is the reckless and
unscrupulous partisan of the BONAPARTE family,
caused great agitation among the Members of the
Assembly, and they were preparing to adopt mea-
sures to counteract the plans which they believed to
be in preparation for their subjection, when the ad-
visers of the Elysee became alarmed at the position in
which they found themselves placed, and on Sunday
the appointment of General CASTELLANE was sus-
pended ; this retrograde step cannot but be as da-
maging to the Bonapartist fraction of the reactionary
party as is the failure of the fusion project to the Le-
gitimatists and Orleanists. It is almost certain that
the Assembly will reject the project for the revision
of the Constitution. The Ordre, which is the organ
of MM. TRIERS and ODILON BARROT, gives the fol-
lowing as the unanimous decision of the Committee of
revision. It says—
"lt is vain that parties try to modify the sense and
meaning of the declarations made by M. de Tocquee
vine in the name of the committee being all unanimous
on the subject. From these clear and, positive declara-
tions it results that in case the revision of the Con-
stitution be nut voted the Constitution itself receives a
new consecration, and that it must be invariably and
universally obeyed. It is understood that all attempts
having for its object to incite the people in favour of un-
constitutional candidates would not only be improper and
irregular but culpable. It is understood that no person
shall think, and that no person shall dare to say, that
the National Assembly, the guardian of law, would
quietly allow anybody under its eyes to carry the nation
into such a new career of revolution and adventure. It
is understood, in fine, that the duty of the Assembly,
the sentiment of its responsibility, its interest, and its
honour, oblige it to defend the Constitution if violated.
It is not only the six members opposed to the revision
who speak thus alone, but along with them Messrs. de
Broglie, Berryer, Odilon Bunt, Montalembert, Moulin,
de Melun, Dufour, Corcelles, and Tocqueville. After
so solemn a warning, can any one entertain the illusion
that the Assembly would ratify an unconstitutional
election? To push for such an election we cannot too
often repeat would be to drive the country to civil war
and to a revolution."

Galignanis Messenger states that the PRESIDENT
of the Republic, to whom had been referred the mat-
ters in dispute between the United States and Por-
tugal, has just given his award in favour of Portugal.
The report of M. DE MELUN (du Nord) on peti-
tions for the revision of the Constitution was on Fri-
day distributed to the Assembly. Annexed to this
report is a tail*, arranged by departments, of the
petitions which had been presented up to July 1 in-
clusively. The department of the Seine has sent a
total of 37,881 signatures, crosses, and adhesions, of
which 34 781 are tor the revision ; 2,206 of the revision
and the prolongation, and 894 for the prolongation
alone. The departments which have furnished the
tzre4te‘t number of signatures are, the Meuse,
41,469; Chirente Inferieure, 41,136; and the Cha-
rente, 38.562. The departments of the Finistere, the
Morbihan, and La Vendee have furnished the smallest
number, being 137,217, and 514 respectively. The
Marne has sent .be greatest number of unconstitutional
petitions, the number of signatures b-ing 18,751.
Next to it comes the C6.es du Nord, which has fur-
nished 7,298, and the Gironde 3,897. The committee
proposes to set aside by the previous question all the un-
constitutional petitions, which bear 45,841 signatures.
As to the 7.692 crosses and adhesions which are not
certified, thy will be regarded as null and void.
Thus 1.070 092 tignatures or adhesions of all kinds
will be depusved at the Bureau des Renseignments.
The Patrie declares that the statement of the
National, that M. DE FALLOUX bad told the PRESI-
DENT of the Republic that it was his intention to
use all his influence to obtain the prolongation of his
powers, is utterly destitute of foundation. The PRE-
SIDENT of the Republic has not, says the Patrie, even
seen M. DE FALLOUX since the arrival of that gentle-
man in Paris.

The Patrie says :--" The seizure of a number of
uniforms in the packages addressed to the Duke of
BRUNSWICK, has been the subject of general conver-
sation, and several journals have gone so far as to
stare that interpellations would be put to the Govern-
ment on the subject. The following is the version of
the affair, the correctness of which we can guarantee.
It was so far back as 1832, that the Duke of BRUNS-
WICK had these uniforms, to the number of about
6,000, made at Bordeaux. The Duke at that time
hoped to obtain the authorisation to assemble and
equip an armed body, in order to recover his duchy.
of having succeeded in these attempts, and the
French Government having sent him to the frontier
for the fact, the Duke of BRUNSWICK had the uni-
forms brought to him at Paris, and afterwards sent
them to London, where they have ever since been
lying. On returning to Paris, the Duke thought he
might again have them sent here, in order to get rid
of them, and it is during their passage that they have
been seized by the custom-house officers. If we
are well informed, the Duke of BRUNSWICK now
wishes to get rid of them at the best price he can
obtain."

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, JULY 12.
Boulogne and Amiens, 11—East Indian, 18%—Great In-
dian Peninsula, 33—Orleana and Bourdeaux, 4%—.Tours
and Nantes, 6% ex d.