The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-05 00:00:00

A circumstance which tended, of course, to lend an
air of importance to the meeting which took place yes-
terday, in Westminster, was the attendance (as chair-
man) of the Archbishop of CANTERBURY. Under the
auspices of the Venerable Primate of the Established
Church of England, the discussion was conducted
with an appearance of sobriety and earnestness in the
highest degree satisfactory. This may be recog-
nised, despite one or two momentary interruptions
by reference to the remarks delivered upon the occa-

'ion by the reverend and honourable speakers. The
fact here notified cannot but be viewed as more than
ever encouraging, taking place, as the assemblage
did so very speedily after the decided defeat of Mr.
Fox's motion on the subject of education. Occur-

ring, moreov.,r, as it did, in the vicinity of that palace
of the Legislature which had so recently witnessed
this disheartening, though not ignominious defeat, it
could not but be especially gratifying to all sincere
promoters of the cause who happen to be residents
within the boundaries of the city of Westminster.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
In the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday a discus-
sion sro3e on the subject of the PitESTDENT'S speech
at Dijon. After the usual business had
.been dis-
posed of, the President, M. Durex, made the following
announcement :
The President—M. Desmousseaux de Givri de-
mands permission to put questions to the Minister of
the Interior, relative to the speech of the President of
the Republic at Dijon. What day will the Hon. Minister
fix for them?
M. Leon Faucher, the Minister of the Interior—Let
them come on immediately.
M. Desmousseaux de Givri—l congratulate my-
self on having proposed the interpellations, for the
promptness with which the Minister accepts them proves
to me that there is no truth in what has been said of
there having been a phrase in the speech insulting to
the Assembly. The speech of General Chengaruier,
which has been so well understood by the Assembly,
and which, will also be so by the country—(ilesir, hear)
—has furnished the Minister with an opportunity of
declaring that there is neither motive nor pretext for
calumniating the Assembly; but, if in fact the Presi-
dent did deliver the phrase which I have before me, it
would be a grave attack on the dignity of the Assembly.
In presence of the declarations of the Lion. Minister, I
withdraw my demand for interpellations. I will now
add a few words—
The President—You say you withdraw your demand
and yet you continue.
M. Desmousseaux de Givell—l shall only speak on
the order of the day, and I request the Assembly to
occupy itself with a proposition which I presented some
time since.—(luterruption.)
The Presiaent—le is au established fact that the
members of the Bureau have DO official character out
of this Chem ber.—(Agitation and exclamations.)
M. Piscatory—l do not intend to examine the ques-
tion as to whether the interpellations are useful or op-
portune, but when once the question is raised it ought
to be settled. It is not sufficient that the Minister de
Glares that there was nothing meant by the phrase
which was said to have been delivered, but he ought to
tell us whether or no it was delivered. I therefore ask
the Minister of the Interior positively whether or no it
was the cast ? (The Minister made no reply.) For
want of an answer I shall address myself to several of
my Hon. Colleagues—
The President—You have no right to do so.
M. Piscatory—Tne Lion. President tells me I have no
right, but I will remark that the question regards the
dignity of the Assembly, and I declare that if I had
heard anything offensive used either against the Go-
vernment or the Assembly, I would frankly declare it.
Tho Minister of the Interior, with great emphasis—
The Government recogoix:s no other text of the speech
delivered by the President of the Republic than that in-
serted in the Moniker.
M. Desmousseaux de Givti—lt is then, understood
that the phrase which I have now before me, and which
says, "The Assembly has given me its co-operation in
every measure of repression, but has tailed me in all the
nieusurt s which I have conceived for the interest of the
people"—it is agreed, I say, that no one delivered this
phrase.—(Laughter and agitation.)
M. Piscatory—l am glad that I resumed the interpel-
lations, for, after the reply of the Government, the
phrase must be considered as null, or that, if it was de-
livered, it is withdrawn, or that the idea of it is retracted
by the Government.—(gear, hear.) We do not in this
matter obey any party feeling. We do not wish either
directly or indirectly to attack the Government for a
party object. When the Ministers who were at Dijon
affirm that ti'e phrase which excited the susceptibility
of so many Representatives does not exist we are bound
to believe them. There is now only one way of ter
urinating this discussion with dignity, and that is to pass
at once to the order of the. day. That is the only
coarse, firm, politic, and honourable, that we can follow.
The order of the day was then put to the vote and
adopted.

Voice on the Left—lt is a shameful termination.-
Noise.)

The Assembly roae in considerable agitation at six
o'clock.

The National thus comments on the attempt of
M. DUIIN to stifle discussion on the PRESIDENT'S
speech :

" The National Assembly, according to the Constitu-
tion, is the first power of the State. The President of
the Assembly is the representative of the sovereign
power. The majority decided that this high place should
be confided to M. Dupin, and it had yesterday an example
of the courage and dignity which the homage d'ajjaires
of the Orleans dynasty exhibits in the exercise of his
high functions. MM. Piscatory and Desmouss( aux
de Givi 41 declare in the tribute that an insult and
a calumny had been addressed, on a solemn occa-
sion, to the Assembly, in presence of its President,
two of its Viet-Presidents, and several of its Mem-
bers. The President, of course, will either contra-
dict the assertion, or will announce that he protested
against that insult and calumny. No, he peipe-
grates a joke ; M. Desmutisseaux de says
he, ' declares that he gives np his interpellations, and at

the same time he goes"on with them.' But the Assembly
bad no desire to laugh; and then M. Dupin, in order to
put down the discussion, hastened to declare that the

representatives and the President of the Assembly were
present at Dijon as simple spectators, and without any
official character. The cocclusion to be drawn is, that
the Assembly has nothing to do with the insults offered
to M. Dupin. Agreed, M. Dupin; we should take but
little notice of insults offered to you personally, and we
are of opinion that the country, like us, cares little about
them. But when in an official banquet you are placed
next to the President of the Republic, it is not
without doubt to the old Deputy of the Chamber
which betrayed France iu 1815, not to the man of
St. Acheut, not to the procureur of the Orleans
itti:iAlyestehmabtlyhotmhast itcgeouissidpearidattion i
issmtaonittheestedPr. No oneesidentof
ever reckoned on your courage, no one ever thought of
bbueTtlount'Utfis endeavourhe
hdcmto buy account
ue
tut your
of
attitudeus justifyri l.enc silence, tebhyAit
which
hesen
nbmoa
unsuitable
nu
ee t
thinks
interruptedho if'
tilkitsi It
of
baPysrke itsltan ilorutmh murmurs a the strange argument of M. Dupin; but
jet i; ;110k.qt!hist tionangiuto la which W 9

regard to the probable influence of the National
Society for Promoting the Education of the
Poor. This, moreover, we may remark, is
an opinion which may be uttered without
anything like disparagement of the labours, or of
the general efficiency of the association. For, ac-
cording to a very generally received belief, and one
the reasonableness of which must be apparent to the
most mediocre capacity, no scheme can by possibility
be adequate as a means of affording education to the
masses which has not immediately emanated from, or
received the patronage of, the Supreme Government.
Individual efforts are all well enough as methods of
bringing about certain local or provincial improve-
ments ; but it is altogether frivolous to imagine
for an instant that they can prove sufficient as a mode
of diffusing knowledge over the whole surface of the
population. Consequently, whatever may be the
success achieved by the society already particularised,
it must inevitably turn out to be inoperative as a plan
for the dissipation of popular ignorance.
Reformers of all times and of all classes have had
to battle with difficulties as numerous, and at starting
as apparently insurmountable as those which have in-
terrupted the progress of the advocates of
national education. It behoves them, therefore,
to be in no way discouraged by their repeated failures
both outside the walls of the Parliament and in the
bosom of the Imperial Legislature. Free-trade doe
trines were ultimately triumphant over the doctrines
of Protection, notwithstanding the annual defeats
encountered by the Hon. CHARLES PELHAM VIL-
LIERS : and Catholic Emancipation was at length
obtained in spite of the defeats endured again and
again by DANIEL O'CoNNEnn and his adherents.
It will be well consequently if the Member
for Oldham will bear continually in remembrance the
pertinacity di.played against all kinds of opposition
both by the Liberator and by the Representative of
Wolverhampton. So soon as the measure of the
evil has been tasted to the dregs, so soon, but no
sooner, will the constituted authorities consent to their
removal. Delayed the anticipated moment of change
may be beyond all conceivable conjecture, but arrive
it will in the end as by an infallible necessity, the
most obdurate antagonism yielding at length to
the force of a firm and conscientious per-
severance. An implicit confidence in this is the
secret upon which the ulterior victory of all re
formers is principally dependent. Mr. Fox should,
consequently, cherish it perpetually in his heart as a
consolation under every disappointment, and as an as
SUMACS of his tardy but inevitable success as a pro
moter of enlightenment.