The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-12 00:00:00

[PRICE 4D. STAMPED SD•

cu futiles, qui . . offraient tout ensemble le spectacle
Is plus triste et le plus visible ,qu'on eut jamais vu"—he
is bketching by anticipation the lighter and less revolt-
ing phases of that era which was destined to reproduce
in exaggerated form the worst ferocity of the Frondist
rabble, the most contemptible faithlessness of the
Frondist courtiers, and the most shameless apoa-
lacy of the Frondist priests. But he will not suf-
fr himself to see the resemblance between the
essential elements of the two times, or to draw
the unflattering inference which such a resemblance
dictates. He will not see the same type of national.
character in the populace which sided with the privileged
leagi,tracy of France to extort further concessions from
Anne of Austria, and the mob which forced the States-
General to extort the abolition of all privileges from
L uis XVI. Nor will be see the same popular charac-
teristics, under different circumstances and different
powers of confederation, in the nation which, after sub.
jetting the Revolution to the Mountain, merged it in a
submission to a dictatorship, and the nation which, after
cla.nouring against eorrees, feudal imposts, and unequal
la w t, coalesced with a greedy judicature and a profligate
noblesse to sacrifice the advantages which liberty had
gained to the firmness of the Queen and the astuteness
of Mazai in. How much of that antithetical mixture of
tragedy and farce—of extreme horrors and extreme
levity—which so strangely colours either of these revo-
lutions, may be traced in the earliest and moat familiar
description of Gallic character the Duc de Broglie natu-
i ally forbears to intimate. But a life so chequered as
his has been cannot fail to suggest to so practised a
'statesman contemplations which find, perhaps, rather
cons, lation than expression in the beautiful words which
he delights to quote :
" Ne dtisesperonsjamais des prinelpos. et dps vertns qui
ferment le noble patrimoine de respece humaine ; lois
memo quo nous les verrions mis en oubli . . attendons
le lent ouvrage du temps. Les verites eternelles survivront
aux attaques de 'curs ennemis, et renaitraient du cceur nneme
de rhomme, s'il no restait aucun monument sur,la terre pour
attester leur antique existence et le'culte qu'on leur rendu."

M. Nisard takes a less hopeless view of humanity,
but perhaps a not less just view of the nature and neces-
sities of Frenchmen. Not less patriotic than the ancient
peer of France, Le desires glory for his country, glory
in war and in the triumphs of peace. But he wishes to
see this attained under the directing control of a
strong sovereign arm, one which can combat the
intrigues of the rebellious, and overcome the combina-
tions of the turbulent. In his view, France is a grand
army marching on to warlike or pacific conquest, hitt
requiring the ever-watchful eye of a vigilant and active
commander, ready to stimulate the courage of his sol-
diers by his own energy, but not less ready to repress
their disaffection by the severest discipline, or punish it
with the severest castigation. The past teaches him as
little fait's in the organised constitution of Parliaments
as in the tumultuous aspirations of bis countrymen after
any political right or any political cuiryinent. Each and
all have failed of their ostensible objects ; but they have
not failed in one thing. They have ended in obtaining
for France the chieftainship of a dominant will, at once
impersonating her energies and sympathising wth her
want.. France found this in Mazarin and Louis XIV.
after the iracasseries of the Frond/ She found it in
Napoleon I, after the massacres of the Terrorists. We
leave it to M. Nisard to supply the name which has ad.
minietered to her latest thirst fer repose after her expos•
rience of the inteetes under Louis Philippe and the car-
nage under the Provisional Government. Nor will M.;
Nisard's oblique insinuation fail to strike the most heed-
leis minds either in France or abroad. It is by pure
acci lent that the man who in the 17th century crushed
the conspiracies of the Ftondeurs and restored tran-
qeillity to France was a foreigner—an Italian,—who
e;-rnsd by his benefactions the title of " anssi bien Fran-
c ois quo le meilleur de son temps ;" and that twice with-;
in the :Lost GO years France has owed the restoration of.
order, tranquillity, and glory to a family Italian by.
oriein, and more than French by sympathy !
The diecours of M. Nisard is highly suggestive—not,
so much by what it says as by what it omits to say.;
Nor i ave we reason to suppose his opinions, delicately;
and iegenieuslv conveyed, are singular in France. How
for his or the Due de Broglie's jedgrnent may be in the;
right it is not for us to pronounce. Speaking as friends,
but els) ai strangers removed from the immediate scene'
ef action, we should say that, although the latter has
the advantage in hopefulness, the former is stronger in
truth. The recorded putt justifies M. Nisard's love cf
a strong government • but the Duke's sanguine trust in
the virtues of his kind indicates the existence of that
benevolence and that equity, without which statesman-
ship
ultimately degenerates into a calculation of anta-
gonist vices, and public life becomes the market of com-
peting venalities.
Otte word in conclusion. In justice to M. Nisard, we
cannot refrain from acknowledging with gratitude his
manly and intelligent protest against that wretched ma-
terialism of which France has not yet, we fear,, reaped
the last or bitterest fruits; and, in parting with there
two distingiitsbed ornaments *V their - country, let us
hope that; whatever be the colour of their pntrttOS or her
de,tinv, she and they may find many a worthy champion
to follow their example in fighting against " l'itrange
doctrine qui fait de la personalitd hnmaine un resultat
des dispositions de la matiere, et de la pens6e un pro.
duit des nerfs du cerveau."