The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-19 00:00:00

THE AFFAIR OF THE ENGLISH

GUN-BOAT.

MARSEILLES, Nov. 17.

The accounts from Constantinople are to the

10th instant.

The journals announce that the Russian cruisers
of Abasia having captured many Turkish vessels
laden with contraband salt, Admiral Lord Lyons
despatched some gun-boats to require an explana-
tion of this capture. But one of these gun-boats,
the Badger, was desirous to penetrate into the
Sea of Azoff, when the Russians refused her the
permission to pass the Strait of Yenikale, and
even fired upon her.

PERSIA.

There is no official intelligence of the fall of
Herat, but it is stated to have been taken in

September.

A letter from Vienna, in the Bourse Gatette
of Berlin, says :—" It is believed hem that the
intimate relations that have been es;ablished be
tween the Cabinets of St. James's and Vienna
will have some influence on the termination cf
the Neapolitan difficulty. General de Martini
has, it is said, received instructions to acquaint
the Cabinet of Naples, in a confidential manner,
that the slightest concession would doubtless be
taken into consideration by England, who would
then be inclined to abstain from all ulterior mea-
sures, and re-establish diplomatic relations."

The Paris Correspondent of the Times (Second
Edition), in his letter dated yesterday, says :
" The symptoms of public discontent, to which
I have more than once directed attention, appear
to have at last opened the eyes of the authorities ;
and those whom the question touches more nearly,
and who are most menaced by the situation, con-
template some important reforms in their re-
spective departments. The Minister of the In-
terior is said to be occupied at this moment in a
careful review of the prefects and sub-prefects
whose capacity is avowedly unequal to the duties
entrusted to them. If it should be necessary some
day to make an appeal to the country, the Govern-
ment would find that hardly one friendly voice
would respond to it, but that it would hear one
general cry of complaint, reproach, and indigna-
tion. It may be asked if the Minister of the In-
terior is aware of this perilous state of things.
Contrary to the general belief, I take it for granted
that he is ; and if so, he must without loss of
time apply the necessary remedy. He must in-
troduce a radical reform ; he must shut his ears
to all sentiments of favour or affection, or even of
pity, and shake off whatever unwillingness he
may feel, boldly encountering and immediately
removing the obstacles that are in his path. He
must, if he wish, as I do not doubt, to render a
great service to the country, make a sweeping
change in the administration over which he pre
sides—an administration which the voice of the
country has long condemned. If he listen to the
suggestions or persuasions of interested persons
any reform he may make will be of no avail. The
new elections to the Legislative Corps will be hos-
tile to the Government, and the difficulties be
would avoid would again present themselves on
another ground, still more grave and still more
menacing. It may the:. be too Lew for change
or repentance, and of him. it may then be said—
`Et propter vitam vivendi perdere causam.'
"Among the symptoms of discontent observable
in other places besides Paris, I may notice the fact
that in one department—the Cher, I believe—
where a vacancy has occurred, not less than nine
persons have presented themselves as candidates.
They may not proclaim themselves in formal oppo-
sition to Government, but they have come forward
without consulting, or even communicating, as has
been the ease hitherto, with the local authority.
Until a very recent period the electors generally
waited to see who was the candidate put forward
by the Government. This time they have not
done so. One able person, who is a member
of the present Legislature, has signified his
intention of proposing himself in what.
ever electoral college of the department for
which he sits a Government candidate shall
appear. I anticipate considerable progress in
the spirit and manifestation of opposition in the
Legislative Corps. Several of the deputies are
so discontented with the manner in which the
estimates are presented to the Chambers that they
have resolved to abstain in future from attending
before the Council of State to support their respec-
tive amendments. In a short time, perhaps, the
Chamber will muster courage enough to refuse
voting the budget, on the ground that it is not
sufficiently informed on matters of detail, or any
other ground which some experienced tacticians
among them will find no difficulty in discovering.
What then will take place ? If the Emperor dis-
solve the recalcitrant Assembly, it is very proba-
ble that the electors, indignant at the manner in
which their affairs have been administered by the
delegates of Imperial authority, will answer to
that appeal by sending back the very same men.
It will then become an affair of the famous 221,
whose re-election led to the Revolution of 'July
and the dethronement of Charles X. Will a second
coup d'etat be attempted? I doubt it. The situa-
tion of affairs is not the same as that which, ac-
cording to many people, excused or palliated the
first ; and no one knows better than the man
who has most profited by it that the same thing
cannot be done twice within so short a period.
It is fair to admit that the mind of the Emperor,
all powerful as it may be, has been so
policy
foocr-
cupied with great questions of foreign
the last three years as to leave him very little
time for the internal administration of the
country. Yet he had better look to it. His
authority is undermined by his own delegates,
and his name is brought into disrepute by un-
worthy acts of which he is ignorant, but for
which an entire people consider him responsible.
He had better look to it before the moment comes
when to him also may be applied those terrible
words which other rulers have heard before him
trop lard !"