The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-02 00:00:00

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS:

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, MONDAY. February 1.

the interpellation respecting the right of public meeting
commences to-day. Whether the debate be of real import-
ance, or whether it be strangled at its birth, like that on
the It6union affair, I can safely predict that the subject,
and others arising out of it, will occupy the attention of
France for some time to come. This law respecting
public meetings has revived the old Communist
theories. The law has been clearly overreached,
for the license shewn at these gatherings, the
extravagance of language, and the violence of denuncia-
tion are wholly new under the Second Empire, and were
never contemplated when the measure now producing
such ill effects was introduced. A night or two ago
one of these meetings was held at Belleville. The
rights of property were first assailed ; then the person
of the Emperor was made the subject of con-
siderable abuse, and finally the leader, warming to
his work, brought forward a singular proposition.
lle urged that the two secretaries of the Commissary of
Police, whJ were engaged in taking shorthand notes
of the speeches, should be expelled. Ile founded
his reasoning on the provision in the law which
declared that a place should be reserved for the adminis-
trative authority, stenographers being no representatives
of such authority. Of course the reporters stayed ; but the
speakers did not seem much embarrassed by their presence.
They continued their diatribes as if their words, instead of
being taken down, were uttered to the winds. As I have before
mentioned, the law of public meetings was a concession in
the interests of liberty which cannot be too highly valued,
but this species of meeting is decidedly a deplorable abuse
of it.

The Minister of State, during the recent memorable
contest in the Corps L4gislatif, expressed his opinion that
an interpellation should be clear, explicit, and fully
defined. The Temps undertakes to furnish him with an
interpellation of this character. It notes that
twice in the Chamber of Deputies has Count
Bismarck announced that Europe was on the verge
of a war which was prevented only by unforeseen circum-
stances, and it wonders why no member of the Corps
L4gislatif puts forward a demand of interpellation in the
following form :—" What were the circumstances which
gave rise to this danger of war last year?" This, adds
the Temps, will be explicit enough. There is every reason
to fear that the question would be burked, as most unplea-
sant questions are; but there can be no doubt than an answer
would he both interesting and valuable. It would chew
what is the real value of the rumours which periodically
agitate France and re-act upon Europe, and especially the
amount of identity between the report and the fact.
The French press is noticing your raid upon the inde-
cency of theatrical representations. Amongst other
things they comment upon the extreme moderation and
courtesy exhibited in the Lord Chamberlain's circular.
"What authority," exclaims one of the papers, "this dis-
cretion and moderation give to the acts of the Government!
When will our officials learn to adopt a similar style ?" The
the Parisians, however, are not a little annoyed to find that
indecency of costume now common on the English boards
is attributed by the press to the invasion of French customs
and tastes. But they do not assert that the charge
is unfounded. One London theatre, it seems, has
inserted the following as part of its programme : " The
Cancan, French National Dance." This has given infinite
displeasure to the French journals. The Tcmps gets into
a state of enthusiastic diatribe about the sanglante elo-
quence of these five words. Is it likely, then, that this
national indignation will be followed by practical resu:ts ?
Unfortunately not. England might perhaps wake up and
indulge in one of its periodical fits of virtue if it was
found that English theatrical representations were taken
as a model of indecency all over the world,
but the French Government is not, likely to meddle with
the morality of its subjects. The respectable public are
disgusted at " the French National Dance," and so may
be the Government, but it will not interfere. It has
enough to do to take charge of its subjects' politics, with-
out troubling itself about their morals. It is too glad
to permit the French to please themselves in all affairs of
life, provided that it retains for itself the control of the
political domain.
Saturday was the 269th anniversary of the day on which
Henry IV. commenced planting the Tuileries gardens.
Amongst the chesnut trees still existing, three or four are
believed to date from that period.
A singular accident has just occurred at Riom, in the
Puy•de•Dome department. An elderly woman went to
bed leaving a brasier alight. While she was asleep some
coals fell on the floor and burnt it to such an extent that
the deceased fell through into the cellar, where she was
found almost completely carbonised.

THE 'WEATHER T.4BLE.-TAIS DAY.

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AIETT:01:01 ( CJ(AL I:F.FORTF.

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