The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 26, 1E69

TRIS, as a later CHARLEMAGNE. As was said in the
Legislative Chamber during the reign of Louts
FHILIPPE, immediately before the return of .the re-
mains of the great Emperor from the Island of St.
Helena, as was then said in the French Legislative
Chamber by the responsible Minister of the
Orleans King—" He, NAPOLEON the Great, was the
legitimate Sovereign of Francs. He was both Em-
peror and King." He was Emperor of the French
and King of Italy—to say nothing of his being Lord
Paramount or Suzeraine, during the first three
lustres of this century, over the maj irity of the rest
of the kingdoms of the European continent. And it
is the esntenary of the birth of this- wonderful
being that the reigning sovereign of France, the
successor to his name, the heir to his empire, proposes,
surely in a very modest, in a very moderate,
manner to celebrate, by bestowing a small addi-
ti3nal pension upon the last survivors of his veterans
when the tne.norable day shall have came round !
In this we can see nothing to deride. In this we can
only recognize what, upon the instant, commands at
once our profoundest sympathy and respect. Granted
that NAPOLEON the GREAT was polLically, and in
arms, the foe of England. Still, for all that, he was a
glorious foe. Twice he went out.of his way to address
himself personally by letter to the Sovereign of this
country, entreating that war should cease and that
peace should be established between the two nations.
His advances were graciously, and frankly, and mag-
nanimously made—but they were in no way responded
to. When those gigantic wars were at last closed
by the final crash at Waterloo, NAPOLEON wrote
again to the then Royal head of our Government—
not to the King, who was by that time mad, but to
his Royal Highness the Prince Regent—saying,
among other things, that he came to him like THEMI -
STOCLES. [Fancy, talking of THEMISTOCLES to Pam the
Fourth !] Andbasely was.thateonfidence—reposed in
"the most generous of his enemies"—falsitied by those
six purgatorial years of insult to which the Captive
of Saint ll:Jena was, thereupon, infamously subjected.
That Captive of St. Helena being, in reality, all the
the while—despite all those miserable and wanton
humiliations—not merely one of the greatest men
who ever lived, but, ii we for one, out of our Eng-
lish heart and judgment, might say so, the greatest !
BERANGER—but then he was a Frenchman —has
called NAPOLEON, emphatically, "le plus grand poete
du monde." How, again, has Lord BYRON, who was,
on. the contrary, intensely an Englishman, how has
Lord BYRON spoken of NAPOLEON, when, inci-
dentally, in his noblest poem, celebrating the
event of NAPOLEON'S fall at Waterloo ? " There
fell the greatest, nor the worst, of men !" How,
again, was NAPOLEON spoken of by the Right
Hon. CUAIILES ' JAMES Fox--one who knew
him personally, one who, among our English states-
men, might have ptrsonally staid forth as the very
type of JOHN BULL? Why Fox, speaking of
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE, when he was First
Consul, said with all possible erupt) isis and
deliberation, "1 believe hi,n to be the best, as 1 am
certain he is Cie greatest of men." And it is this pre-
eminently Great Man, this Soldier among
this Lawgiver among Lawgivers, this Conqueror of
the natiops of Europe, this author of the Code
Napoleon, this Founder of the Reigning Dynasty
of France, the hundredth anniversary of whose
birth on the 15th of August, 1769, now rapidly ap-
proaching on the 15th of Augue, 1869, NAPOLEON
111. now proposes to commemorate by bestowing au
additional ten pound pension upon those of
his veteran warriors who are still surviving !
Surely, we say, in any such proposal, so far from
there being any provocation to derision, there is only
reason, on the contrary, for what we ourselves have
here already enre.ssed in its regard, namely, for
the profoundest respect, and the profoundest sym-
pathy.

FOUR or five years ago London wss so scandalised
by the outrageous immorality of the Haymarket and
adjacent streets that it compelled Parliament to pass
a measure for the closing of the refreshment houses
between the hours of one and four in the morning.
The Act was so effectual that it was extended " per-
missively " to other towns. It was too effectual for the
persons affected by it. They have never ceased to struggle
against it. First they tried stealthy evasion ; when
they were found out they tried wholesale corruption ;
and it is but a few months ago that a whole division
of police had to be drafted off to another part of
London because they had been utterly demoralised
by the denizens of the Haymarket. But valour is
sometimes the better part of discretion, and so it
has proved in the present case. The impunity which
they could not secure by secrecy nor by bribery they
have secured by openly defying the law. The
whole of the infamous crew which live upon vice
have waxed bolder and bolder, and now it seems
that they need fear nothing so long as they obey the
injunction pecea fortiter. When the authorities at
Scotland-yard discovered that their men had been
tampered with, they at once set to work energeti-
cally. They sent the offending constables to another
part of London where they would not be exposed to
temptation ; they instituted prosecution after prose-
cution against the keepers of the night-houses ; and
as the stipendiary magistrate always convicted
these people where he had evidence to justify
a conviction, he struck terror into their
hearts. But suddenly they found new allies.
The wisdom of our Legislature has decreed
that there is an appeal from the magistrate who is
well acquainted with the matter he has tried to the
magistrates who know nothing about it. It has
decreed that if the borough magistrate, who
must know the requirements of his own town,
decides that no fresh liquor licenses shall be
granted, the applicant may appeal toa bench of magis-
trates fifty miles away, and these, though they may
never have set foot in the town, may revise the decision
of their bretnrem It has decreed that if the stipen-
diary magistrate, a lawyer by profession, and a judge
long practised in the art of weighing evidence and
sifting facts, convicts the keeper of a brothel on what
he deems ample testimony, the county magistrates,
who know nothing of the law save what their clerk
' tells them, who may be landlords of the tenants who
have been convicted—it decrees that these irrespon-
sible and comparatively ignorant persons may set aside
the conviction of the trained professional magistrate.
Thus there came to the aid of the Haymarket
haridans help from Olympus at a time when they
were driven to despair. The deus ex 2nachinci on
this occasion was the Middlesex bench of magistrates,
who reversed the decisions of Mr. KNox, the Marl-
borough-street stipendiary. These gentlemen
declared that befor e there could be a convic-
tion that a house was a brothel there must
be clear demonstration that prostitution was
carried on there. We do not know if
their Worships were joking. If they were, the joke
was a very " smutty " one. But it had its effect.
There was hil.irity in the Haymarket ; there were
paeans in Panton- street; and the lecherous crew
shouted for joy, and determined to show their grati-
tude to their deliverers by more flagrant and out-
rageous indecency than ever. Thus it came to
pass that when one day last week one of
the chaste proteges of the Middlesex bench
was brought up before Mr KNOX, charged
with harbouring harlots, that magistrate said
he could do nothing. True, the evidence was suffi-
ciently complete to satisfy ordinary persons; but
his superiors had required evidence so extraordinary,
so almost impossible to obtain, so demoralising to
the police if they did obtain it, that it was useless
for him to convict. Thus the reform of the Hay-
market is suddenly arrested in full course, and the
Three Estates of the Realm are stultified.

Franlily, we do not regret that this event has
happened. It will call su.-:11 attention to the present

magisterial system re would never have been
obtained otherwise. The Middlesex bench have now
given us the "frightful example " which was needed
to illustrate the evils of conflicting jurisdiction,
and the utter unfitness of country gentlemen to pre-
side over the morals of our large towns. The advo-
cates of a reform of the licensing system could not
desire an event more favourable to their cause than
this ; the supporters of the Permissive Bill could not
ask for clearer demonstration of their principle than
this. Fortunately this thing has not been done in
a corner. It has been done in the metropolis,
within a mile of the Houses of the Legislature.
It must be paten, glaring, to countless M.P.s.
Equally flagrant acts of this kind have been done
elsewhere at the extremities of the kingdom ; but
Haymarket revelry and devilry at two o'clock in the
morning will prove too much even for our by no
means squeamish legislators.

IT seems only too prdbable that the friends of Free
Trade will be once • more called upon to fight the
battle which they so hardly won a generation back.
The hope that Protection would be gradually confined
to those young nations whose experience has not
been great enough to teach them commercial wisdom
has proved vain. A contest in which the selfishness
of the few is enlisted against the good of the many
is not to be disposed of so easily. In England, as
we have seen, the cause of Protection is not altogether
friendless ; in France its advocates form a very
powerful party. When the treaty of commerce
between the two countries expires, its renewal will, on
the other side of the Channel, at least, be strenuously
opposed. For some time past the old cry has
revived. Certain manufactures, and especially the
cotton trade of Normandy, are not in a flourishing
condition at present. The communities inte-
rested ascribe their misfortunes to the injurious
effects of commercial treaties, particularly that
with England. Before the Treaty of 1860 was
concluded, the cotton spinners of Normandy
entered their protest against it. In reply, they
were promised improved communication—canals and
other advantages. But after nine years' experience they
have found their case hopeless. Bankruptcies have
been very frequent of late, many mills have stopped
altogether, and those which still.struggle on only
work half-time. They have found themselves
unable to compete with the industry of
countries more favourably situated, and they
pray for a protective tariff to restore the
balance. This party has its representatives in the
Corps Legislatif, and it is not altogether reassuring
to find that the champions of Protection are chiefly
to be found amongst the Liberals, and are headed by
M. TIIIERS. The majority, indeed, is in favour of Free
Trade, as it is in favour of everything Imperial. But
the Left has contributed to mix up this commerial
question with the great political dispute of the day ;
it unites the cry for parliamentary government
with the demand for a high tariff. It is just
possible that the EMPEROR, compelled to yield some-
thing, may prefer his own prerogatives to industrial
progress. He may, to avoid political liberty, concede
Protection.

The enemies of Free Trade in France have found
no new argument with which to uphold their
position. Indeed, when a politician of M. THIERS'S
intellectual stamp can do no better than revive the
old fallacies of thirty years bae!i, it is clear that the
case is not one for logic. The essence of Protection
is the sacrifice of a whole nation to the interests
of a few producers; and M. TRIERS seeks to do this,
not because the pleas in favour of such a policy are
sounder than formerly, but simply because he
imagines that the producers will be benefited. He
complains that the price of textile fabrics is
so low that French manufacturers cannot
profitably produce them, forgetting, as Protectionists
always do forget, that the millions of Frenchmen
gain, if the few suffer, by every centime struck off
the price of any commodity. England can manu-
facture cotton goods much more largely and more
cheaply than France, but the result of this is
beneficial, not to England only, but to all the world.
For one manufacturer who may suffer by an influx
of cheap gocds, a thousand general consumers gain.
'Scalier M. TmEns's speech, nor the debate of
which it formed part, were creditable to the political
economy of the Corps I,6gislatif. M. TIIIERS
quoted the prosperity of America as a triumph of
Protection ; when the truth is that the manufactures
of America are not prosperous. The most rigid mid
special protection fails to promote manufacturing
industry in the United States, whilst to the general
commenity the high price of necessaries is becoming
instil-Tort kble. The day after this debate some of
the worthy deputies were fiercely inveighing against
the American Government for imposing such a high
duty on French brandy that the exportation had
greatly fallen off ! Such is government on the prin-
ciples of self-interest.
If selfish considerations be set aside, and the
Anglo-French Treaty judged by its fruits, there can
be no fear as to the result. Since 1860 the increase
of commerce between England and France has been
so immense, so exceptional, that there can be no
hesitation in ascribing it to the influence of the
Treaty. It came into operation in 1860. During
the three years immediately preceding this date our
imports from France were of the round value of
12, 13, and 17 millions respectively. In 1865 they
in 1866, 37 ; in
reached 311 millions ;
1867, 33 millions. We exported to France
11 millions in 1857, 9 in 1858, and 0 in
1859. In the years 1865-6-7 the numbers were
25, 26, and 23 millions. It will be seen that the
figures have not uniformly increased year by year.
Sometimes an early year gives better results than: a
later one. But since the Treaty the trade between
the two countries has far more than doubled.
We take from France five times as much
silk, twice as many clocks, three times as
many eggs, fifteen times as much butter, two and a
half times as many gloves, and twelve times as many
hats and bonnets as before the treaty. On our side
our sales of textile fabrics to France have increased
ninefold. Surely the two nations have gained by
an interchange of this magnitude, by an increase
of commerce which is quite as great on one side
as on the :other. Surely such results are not
to be set aside because things are dull and bank-
ruptcies frequent in Normandy. Nobody can desire
that a trade which has prospered at one time should
fall off ; but commercial success is not kept up
by State aid. It is quite impossible that the
Anglo-French Treaty can be wholly repealed, and
the old system resorted to. This is not what the
Protectionists hope or expect. They will be satisfied
with small things at first. But it is this first in-
sidious attack upon the great principles of commerce
that, with these result's before them, Freetraders
must guard against.

INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL

EXHIBITION.

A grand exhibition of flowers, fruit, vegetables,
garden architecture, machines, and implements,
plant houses, and garden furniture, will be held at
Hamburg from the 2d till the 12th of September,
1869, contemporaneous'y with the congress of
German botanists, amateurs, and gardeners. The
exhibition bas.been warmly taken up on the Con-
tinent, and a very influential committee has been
formed to represent the United Kingdom of Great
Britain on the occasion. The Rev. M. J.
Berkeley, rector of Sibbertoft Market, Harborough,
has been appo;nted by the Government her
Majesty's commissioner, and Mr. George Eyles, of
the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens, South
Kensington, act: as secretary. The cointnittee have
sent out invitations to all our leading horticulturists
and others to exhibit, and steps aro in progress to
secure the safe conveyance of the English
contributions to hamburg. The prize list
is a very r:ch one, as much as 500
thalers being offers I in one of the classes open
to public competitio:l. We doubt not but the Eng-
lish will do their best to maintain
the high reputation they have to the present tune
enjoyed, and that an exhibition of unusual magni-
ficence will be the result of the united exertions of
the various emirnittees here and abroad.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, SUNDAY, April 25.

The miserable Belgian railway dispute has for a long
while past lingered in abeyance. The two parties have
been unable to come to terms. France will have the two
Belgian lines leased to the French company, and Belgium
will not consent to this. It was therefore considered
certain that the negotiations would fall through, and that
M. Frh-e-Orban would return to his native heath, leaving
this dangerous quarrel unsettled. But the Independance
Beige hints that this is not to be. Its Paris correspondent,
who has hitherto been so well informed on this question,
says that the departure of the Belgian Minister from
Paris has been delayed, and that there is yet a chance of
coming to terms. It would appear, however, that this
chance has been created only by M. Frre-Orhan giving
way. He has made a proposition, tl.e IndeTcndance is
assured, which gives ground for the hope that the
difference between the Belgian and the French proposi-
tion may ultimately be split. What, then, are the terms of
the new offer in ads by M. Frre-Orban ? The I lid(pendance
believes that the Belgian Government will take the
Luxembourg Railway, and will allow the French company
the lease of part of the line. We are not told how large a
portion of the line will thus be given up ; but it is clear
that the little State is finding the pressure too great.

The Opposition are very confident in face of the great
and rapidly-approaching struggle. Predicting the result
of an election is always the most hazardous of prophecies ;
but the Opposition believe that they can safely count upon
a certain gain. They do not hope to overturn the majority,
but they are confident that their minority will look less
deplorably small than at present. Some candidates of the
Third Party are thought to stand particularly well.
Who "L'Homme qui Rit" may be, the readers of M.
Victor lingo's book must wait to learn ; but everybody
agrees that " L'Homme qui ne rit pas " is M. Ernie
011ivier. Truly the way of transgressors is hard. The
man who tries to serve two parties at once must expect
to get into trouble straightway. M. 011ivier is supported
and opposed by both the Government and the Oppo-
sition. He is candidate in the Var department, where
the Government do not want him, and where the
Opposition do. The Imperialists hope to get in an
official candidate, whilst the Liberals cannot hope
to return anybody more Liberal than M. 011ivier.
On the other hand, M. 011ivier is candidate for the third
circumscription of Paris. Here the Government would
be glad to see him returned. No official candidate is
likely to do much good in Paris, and the authorities,
therefore, prefer a moderate man to a Red. But for
the Republicans M. 011ivier is not advanced enough, and
therefore they are starting an ultra to oppose him. Why
this complexity? Simply because M. 011ivier believes
that liberty is compatible with the Empire; and
in ISG7 he made the famous overtures for a Liberal
Government—overtures which M. Rouher so successfully
burked. The unfortunate deputy stands, therefore, in
the common, but unenviable, position of trying to please
both parties, and pleasing neither. M. Lesseps has
arrived at Marseilles, and is fairly en campagne. The
23rd and 24th of May are now spoken as the most likely
date for the elections.

The Corps Legislatif presents a woeful aspect of desola-
tion. The deputies are few, melancholy, and languid.
They are agitated, as one may suppose condemned men
generally are, but it is not a healthy, bu3iness•like agita-
tion. The last sitting or two has been remarkable for the
number of ladies who were present. Never have I seen
so many there before. They were come, said one wag, to
hear the " Song of the Swan ;" but, whatever may be the
attraction, the few deputies who occupy the deserted
benches are lost in their audience. It looked like a 'llls-
sionary meeting. The sittings have lately been very
long, but everything, it is hoped, will be finished on
Monday.
M. de Montalembert is much better.

A lamentable accident happened to a legerdemain
performer at the Cirque Napol6on on Friday. The
unfortunate conjuror, Dr. Epstein, was ceminencing a trick
in which he made use of a gun, which he himself charged
with a kandkcrchief thrust into the barrel by means of a
ramrod. He then offered the weapon to a spectator,
with directions to take good aim and fire it at the doctor,
promising to receive the charge on the point of a sword.
The man refused, but another person accepted. The word
to fire was given, but the moment after the piece went off
the doctor staggered and fell to the ground, exclaiming,
"I am a dead man ! " Several persons hastened to his
assistance, and a surgeon being sent for, the unfortunate
performer was removed to his own residence in a very
dangerous state. It appears that the thin piece of wood
used in ramming down the charge had broken in the
barrel, and that a piece of it perforated the conjuror's
tight lung. The excitement was, of course, very great,
though few of the spectators knew the danger of the
wound. The poor doctor is hardly likely to recover.