The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-24 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

The Paris journals of yesterday have been received.
The Journal des Debats is still pertinacious in its
protests against the prosecution of the press. Its ar-
guments are yet more vigorously advanced in oppo-
sition to the Government. Alluding to some attacks
made upon its allusions to the state of discredit into
which journalism is plunged at the present moment,
it persists in maintaining that such is the case, and
attributes the unpopularity of the newspapers gene-
rally to the violence and excesses they had adventured
upon. _ _

A discussion of some warmth has also sprung up
between the Presse and the National, M. DE GIRAR-
DIN assailing the latter in no measured terms for its
sudden announcement that even in the event of the
abolition of the electoral law of 1850, and the re-
establishment of universal suffrage, it would strongly
oppose the proposition for the revision of the con-
stitution. He says :

" The National finds in a partial revisio❑ of the
constitution great inconveniences and great dangers.
What are they ? The re-election of M. Louis Bona-
part• ? But is not his constitutional re-eligibility
preferable to the eventuality of his unconstitutional
re-election ? It is perhaps a great piece of clumsi-
ness on the part of the National to place M. Louis
Bonaparte iu balance with the constitution. As
for us, we will not do that honour to any man,
whomsoever he may be. Let the National take
care that it is not more Bonapartist than we are with-
out meaning it. With universal suffrage reestab-
lished, we should seek in vain for a pretext for refusing
the revision which the majority demands. The
National, no doubt, does not consider the Constitution
perfect : how then does it not fear in refacing the
partial revision in spite of the re-establishment of
universal suffrage, that it may be accused with an ap-
pearance of reason with desiring to keep the people
under guardianship, and of decreeing distrust of
universal suffrage, the expression and guarantee of the
Republic If the people be made to believe that the
Parliamentary minority refuses the revision because
it distrusts them, and holds them in suspicion, take
care that they do not avenge themselves on that
distrust by voting unconstitutionally for the can-
didate whom the minority would wish to
exclude. Take care by this impolitic re-
fusal not to compromise the Constitution, which
you think you preserve. It would suffice, in our
opinion, for the lepublicans to appear to wish for a
republic which cannot be discussed, for the republic
to be immediately condemned by the absence of the
principle which caused it to exist—discussion. If the
National believes national sovereignty, represented
by universal suffrage, capable of betraying itself,
and of abdicating, by giving up the republic—such
a people would appear to us unworthy of liberty,
and we should blush to defend them, if they should
so abandon themselves. When we propose partial
revision, it is not that we doubt the result of total
revision with universal suffrage. Total revision would
give us the republic with the same fidelity as partial
revision would preserve it to us."
The Constitutionnel continues to demand the repeal
of the electoral law of 1650, and to harp upon the
candidateship of the Prince DE JOINYILLE.
A preposterous article in the Union endeavours to
prove that the national expenditure was less under the
Restoration.

The Minister of the Interior, who left Paris on
Saturday morning, for the department of the Marne,
of which he is representative, and which he had not
visited for two years, had, according to letters from
that department, been received by his constituents
with the greatest warmth. The Hon. Minister was
shortly expected to return to Paris.
Several of the persons recently arrested in Paris
in connexion with what is called the Paris conspiracy
had been set at liberty within the last few days. It
is said that the number now in prison does not exceed
sixty.
Lord BROUGHAM had arrived in Paris, on his way
to Cannes.

The Bourse was not quite so firm on Monday.
The Five per Cents. opened at 92f. 20c., and fell to 91f.
70c4; they closed at 91f. 75c. for the end of the
month; the Three per Cents. closed at 56f.15c.; Orleans
Railroad Shares, 860 r.; Rouen, 572 f. 50e.; Havre,
2,".0f.; Great Northern, 56f. 25c.; Avignon, 207 t. 50c.;
Vierzon, 426 f. 25c.; Basle, 150 f.; Bordeaux, 382 f. 50c.;
Paris and Strasburg, 352 f. 50c.; Tours and Nantes,
262 f. 50c.

B USINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, S. 23.
_ _

Central of France (Orleans and Vierzon), 17—Dutch
Rhenish, 23A—Luxembourg, 34—Ditto, 134—Northern of
France, 14%—Orleans and Bordeaux, 414 ex (I.—Paris and
Rouen, 22—Tours and Nantes, 6N.