The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-03 00:00:00

'A T-I, E-STEG ,7.

The following letter has been addressed to the
Editor of the Daity News :

send you a copy of a document which
seems to me, as a specimen of tyrannical debauche,
worth a page of Tacitus. It is one of the so-called
sentences—they are all like—in virtue of which a
man is arreTted and clrried away to Africa, under
the imperial rule. I salad the French text to avoid
all doubt concerning the faithfulness of a transla-
tion:—

Pr6feciure de Vaucluse, Minisare de Pint 6rieur et de
la Stlrete—ten6rale.—lbre Diviiion.—ler Bureau.
Au nom de l'Empereur.
Le Ministre Ucretaire d'Etat, au Departement, et de

la Stlretti Gin rate.

Vu l'article 7 de la loi du 27 Fivrier, 1858, ainsi
conga :

"Pent etre intend dans un deparfa neat de I'empire,
ou on Algerie, ou expul,ri du territoire, tout individu qui
a ite condamrld, soit intend', expuled, on transporti, par
mesure de Ffirete generale, ? I'occasion des evinemens
de Mai et Juin, 1848, de Juin, 1349, ou de Decembre,
1851, et qua des faits graves signaleraient de :nouveau
comme dangereux pour la t et •ett publique."
Vu l'article 9 de la memo loi, ainsi conga :
" Tout individu interne en Algdrie, on expulse. du ter-
ritoire,qui rentre en France sans autorisation, pent titre
place dans une colonie piaitentiaire, soit en Algdrie,
soil dans une antre possession Franc ti,e."
Vu la decision de la commission mixte institute dans
le departetnent Vaueluse, en execution de l'instruction
mini-terielle du 18 Janvier, 1852, en vertu de laquelle
le Sieur Banirre Jean, journalier, demeurant it Avignon,
avait 4t6 soumis, par m sure de sttretd genirale, h l'occa-
!lion des tvenemens de Ddcembre, 1851, it l'internement.
Vu l'avis du Pr diet du departement de Vaucluee, du
GeSniral qui y commando, et du Procureur-General :
"Considdrast qua des faits graves signalent de nou-
veau l'individu ci-dessus d‘Agne, comma dangereux pour
la stlret‘ publique :
Arrete :

"Le Sieur Barrlre Jean, journalier, demenrant
Avignon, sera interne en Alg4rie.l
" Fait 'a Paris, le 15 Mars, 1858.

(Slgni)

" ESPINASSE."

Pour ampliation,
Le Chef de Division, CH. DESMARE.
Pour copie conforme,
Le Pr6fet de Vaneluse, DE ST. AMAND.
Let your readers weigh the words of the law
which rules now individual liberty in France.
A man has been, deservedly or not, under an ex-
ceptional, extra legal state of things, visited seven,
nine, or ten years ago—in May and June, 1848, for
instance, when Louis Napoleon was not even Presi-
dent—with a punishing measure applied to him
without a trial, summarily, in the name of threat-
ened public safety. He has been interne, thrown
out of the country, or transported. He has under-
gone his punishment. He has fully expiated his
probable or possible political guilt.
A circular from Paris enjoins the department au-
thorities to clear France of all men who might en-
danger imperial rule. The department authorities,
the prefet, the commanding general, and the go-
vernment's attorney, consult the lists of seven,
nine, or ten years ago. About every name they
find, they seek information from the local police :
is such a man likely to prove some day or other
dangerous? Yes ; some unknown spy has handed
over an unfavourable rapport about him.
The man is suddenly arrested and transported to
Algeria.
Retroactivity of the law—an extra-legal measure
given as ground to an actual, summary, heavy
punishment—an expiated probable or possible
fault, taken as a guidance for actual visitation, no
trial, no interrogatory, no judges of the case, the
absolute irresponsible will of three public func-
tionaries—all these features are combined in the
monstrous achievement. In the special case, the
soefntthe
man now shipped to Africa, was merely sent to the
n interiorounced against a i s t Francehim in
nlBt hse2. ground The
nefeorpmreor
measure is incomparably heavier. e.
Hundreds of men, merchants, lawyers, working-
men, are now, from every French locality, trans-
ported, under a sentence like the one I send. From
March 14 downwards, every night a convoi of
prisoners has reached Marseilles, each convoi con-
taining from 30 to 40 persons. The men they
doomed have been generally invited, for the sake of
avoiding scandal, to the Prefecture, to hear some
communication relating to their private interests.
And this is called a government, a normal legal
power worth alliances, protection, anti-conspiracy-
to-murder bills and press prosecutions I This we
are called on to respect.
April 1.

JOSEPH MAZINI.