The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-28 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 1869

6 -
Another panic yest. rday on the Bourse—according
to the Paris correspondent of one of our morning
contemporaries, a tremendous panic—would almost
seem to justify for once the absurdity of issuing a
Bulletin as to the condition of a person in ordinary
health. It would almost appear to render it advis-
able that Dr. NELATON should serio-comically
give to every anxious inquirer in regard to the
EMPEROR'S convalescence a reply similar to
the one vouchsafed by the gravely humourous
Skipper to the Cockney Excursionist, when the
latter asked with some solicitude, " Ilow's the wind,
Captain ?" " Pretty well thank you, sir ; hog►
are you !" A tremendous panic seems, when
one comes to look into the facts, to be
rather an exaggeration. But, however, this may
be, there is no doubt whatever about it that the
Bourse was very much agitated. Routes opening at
73f. 5c., subsequently falling to 72f. 35c., actually
closed at 71f. 85c. Nay, even that was not all, for
after the Bourse had closed the Rentes fell ten cen-
times lower, the last quotation being 71f. 75c. All
this being directly attributable to alarming rumours
in regard to the health of the EMPEROR. Seeing how
the funds are affected by rumours of this kind imme-
diately after the enormous political concessions made
by NAPOLEON M., after the transformation by
him of his seventeen years' Despotism into
a free Parliamentary Government, one cannot
but marvel as to what the effect would have
been supposing false statements of the kind had been
set on foot while his MAJESTY was still in direct an-

tagonism to the Tiers' Parti, when the Imperial
Message was yet unwritten, when the Senatus Con-
sult= was in no way anticipated, when there was
not even a hope of a general and unconditional
amnesty, when the autocratic Sovereign of France
had not as yet yielded room on the pyramidical
steps of the Throne, to responsible Ministers and an
independent legislature. If upon the very morrow,
as it were, of such extraordinary concessions as those,
rumours, as 'to the failing health of NarouoN
can result in such disastrous panics as that which
marked the proceedings on the Paris Bourse of yes-
terday, it seems probable that supposing the E3l-
- had not previously taken the important steps
just now mentioned, steps permanently calculated to
consolidate his dynasty and to ensure the succession
to his son under the title of NAPOLEON IV., yesterday
would have run the risk of proving as lamentably
memorable a " Black Friday" for the French as an-
other claimant to that title has:proved iu its character
ever since its arrival as a grim and seemingly indelible
blot upon our mercantile calendar here in England.
Reverting, however, to the immediate source of this
really wanton hazard yesterday of a great c ►amity on
the Paris Bourse,we would seriously reiterate what we
set out by remarking, that an authoritative Bulletin
as to the condition of a person in ordinary health
would really appear in the EMPEROR'S instance
to be for once justifiable—to be, even,_ one is
almost tempted to go so far as to assert, necessitated.
According to the positive declaration made in
official circles the EMPEROR'S health has very much
improved, especially within the last three or four
days—a statement, the truth of which seems to be
clearly demonstrated, by the fact that the EMPRESS
and the Prince Imperial have, within these last three
or four days, left the EMPEROR at St. Cloud,
and wended their way to Lyons, to Toulon,
to Ajaccio. Since the departure of ller
MAJESTY for Corsica, the EMPEROR has been well
enough to preside at a Council of Ministers, and to
take his regular daily walks in the Park at St Cloud.
According to the Presse his MAJESTY drove out yes-
terday, accompanied by Dr. NELATON. It is true
that one of the papers says he has recently un-
dergone a surgical operation, in consequence of
which he has, since then, several times fainted.
But then the oracular organ setting forth this
statement is no other, it should be remem•
bered, than Figaro—in contravention to all of
whose categorical statements the rest of the Parisian
press assert, quite as positively, that the EMPEROR'S
health is very appreciably improved. A distinct
bulletin, signed by a name as authoritative as that of
NELATON, would at once, however, dissipate all further
doubt upon the subject. And, after Thursday, and
especially after,thenextday(yesterday) it is earnestly
to be hoped that some such conclusive bulletin as
that may be formally issued. If, a day or two after
that, his MAJESTY would show himself to the People
of Paris, driving in an open carriage through its prin-
cipal thoroughfares, so much the better. The necessity
for something of the kind being done is really be-
coming urgent, and while it is so undeniably as a
precautionary measure in the interest of the public
funds and of public credit, it seems as a mere matter
of popular sentiment desirable that the people of
Paris should have some opportunity of displaying
towards his MAJESTY in person their sense of the
magnificent concessions he has so very recently
made to the rational aspirations of a great people to
secure the blessings of a free and responsible
Government.

ALTHOUGH the British Constitution has suffered
a serious degradation by the abolition of the
:Ministerial whitebait dinner, the element of dining
has not been lost sight of in connection with recent
public events. The advent of the British Association
in the West of England was marked by two large
public dinners, one at Exeter, and one at Plymouth.
The opening of the new docks at Hull was celebrated
by a most extensive " luncheon," at which the
Prince and Princess of WALES were present.
The presence of ladies is generally; supposed
to give a refining, softening influence, which
corrects the undue elevation of spirits that is
not unfrequently manifested in their absence, No