The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-04 00:00:00

of consignment to a penal settlement. According
to the proposed regulations, to have been once
suspected is sufficient to deprive a man of all legal
protection—to render him an outlaw—who may
be dealt with as a wild beast. No wonder that
the clause has excited great consternation amongst
those who see themselves ill-treated and deprived
of all security because a set of foreign miscreants
endeavoured to commit an atrocious crime, in
which, however, not a single Frenchman took part
has been implicated !
Again, we may ask, by whom are the " serious
facts" to be decided on ? Not by the public
tribunals, or independent jurors. Far from it.
It is by the petty subordinates of the police, who
will accept the mere charge as "confirmation
strong as proof of Holy Writ," who will strain
every point to the utmost, and execute their
orders without much regard to the legality or
propriety thereof ; many of these persons will pre •
fer simple banishment to the care that would be
taken of them by the police authorities, the cer-
tainty of imprisonment in Algeria. They will
flock to our shores, and we shall be considered
responsible for the good conduct of men exasperated
and goaded on to madness by the ill-treatment
they have sustained, the injustice to which they
have been subjected. If England is to be consi-
dered "a den of assassins" as some amiable and
gentlemanly (!) soldiers and others have been
pleased to designate her, who has been the
cause of the mischief ? Who has rendered
men reckless, and induced them to think
" killing no murder r It requires no extraor-
dinary acumen to answer these questions,
and to show that we have just grounds of com-
plaint in having so many refugees forced upon our
hospitality.
The French Government is beginning to dis-
cover the mistake into which it was betrayed in
ventilating the insolent and unwarrantable
addresses it received, and giving them a promi-
nent place in the official journal. Without the
approval of the EMPEROR himself they could not
have been thus distinguished. Their insertion
stamped them with his approbation, and rendered
him practically responsible for every sentiment
and opinion.
Now that the perfect unanimity with which
these audacious and unjustifiable publications
have been defied is apparent, we are assured
that they were not intended as threats, but merely
as a strong display of zeal and ardour in the cause
of the Imperial Dynasty. Credat jadceas Apellas.
If not as threats, for what were they intended.
The EMPEROR and his flunkies may rest assured
that England will neither be bullied nor cajoled
into becoming a department of the Empire, and
that the menaces of his rude soldiers, and the per-
suasive eloquence of his diplomatists, will alike
fail in inducing England to depart from the even
tenor of her way, and maintaining her glorious
constitution unchanged and unchangeable through
a long succession of ages yet to come.

The passport system has long been condemned
by every disinterested and unprejudiced person.

It afforded no security to any Government, but

rather the reverse. It was an instrument of ex tor-

tion and annoyance so far as innocent travellers
were concerned, but a mere cobweb through which
any conspirator could break with the greatest
possible ease. Indeed, so far as persons of the
latter description were concerned, it was rather

injurious than otherwise, inasmuch as it induced
the authorities to rely on a manifestly inadequate
precaution, and to look rather to the regularity of
the papers than to the antecedents and views of
the parties by whom they were presented. It
was generally supposed that the EMPEROR himself
was perfectly aware of the inutility of these proton-
, tious documents, and that he would have long
since abolished them, but for the gains which it
brought to sundry employes, who had sufficient
interest to prevent the destruction of the craft
whereby they gained their bread. It certainly
was never supposed that the proceeding would
have been rendered mote stringent, or that any
of the facilities that previouely existed would have

been taken away.
But so it is. New regulations have just been
issued by which every British subject desirous of
travelling through or sojourning in France must
henceforward provide himself with a Foreign-
office Passport. The Consul-General of France or
other Consular officer in the United Kingdom will
no longer be permitted to grant passports to
others than the subjects of his Imperial Majesty !
Henceforward every foreigner in France must
have the sanction of his own Government
for travelling, a sure way of prevent-
ing any unwelcome visitors from approaching
its shores or crossing its boundaries.
Under these circumstances it was, of course,

indispensable that greater facilities should be
afforded at the Foreign-office for obtaining the
magical document. Hitherto it could easily be
obtained by any of the Select Upper Crust, or by
those who were fortunate enough to be known .to

the Foreign Secretary, or any of the clerks in
his office, or even to a London Banker.
But there were many respectable persons wbo
might be desirous of visiting the Continent, who
could not obtain the requisite recommendation.
The expense was comparatively trifling, only
7s. 6d.; but as the passport should be vised, and
another fee paid thereon, it formed an appreciable
item in the expenses of a week's trip to Paris ;
and as there was a day's delay between the appli-
cation for and the obtaining of the document,
the majority of casual and hasty viLi-
tors dispensed with the honour, and were
satisfied with a consular passport.

Now, that is all changed. The Foreign-Office
recommendation must be obtained, and it will be
granted on easier terms, both as to cost and re-
commendations. Henceforward, only will be
charged, of which ss. will go for the stamp ! That
as., however, is a payment to our own Govern-
ment, and should most decidedly be abolished.
Let not any adventurous traveller lay the flatter-
ing unction to his soul that he will have
satisfied every pecuniary claim on payment of

.. _
that sum. He is, in fact, only in the commence-
ment of his misfortunes. By the 7th clause it
is provided that Foreign-office passports must be
countersigned at the Mission in London, or at
8013:1e consulate in the United Kingdom, of the
country which the bearer of the passport intends
to visit. A. pretty little series of perquisites will
thus be extracted from his pocket even before his
hasdeparture,not disbursed
and he may deem himself well off if he
disbursed ten or tvlentyfuld the amount
before his return.

He can now get the Passport on the recoln -
mendation of the Mayor or Chief Magistrat3 or
any corporate town, or of any Magistrate of
Justice of the Peace, but there must still be a day's
delay, and probably another in getting it counter-
signed by the necessary functionaries in running,
from the Edgware-road to, the City. Besides
there are many persons vho may wish to travel'
who cannot prccure these requisite recommenda-
tions ; who know not a M,,:cyor or Magistrate to
whom they can apply.
This change, is another o f
luhthoe
fresultsJanuary, of, the
abortive
and
allords additional proof abortive attempt of thfe
that the EMPEROR has