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

"THEY ARE COMING."

(From Punch.)
If anything could add to the horrible panic into which
Mr. Punch has been thrown, by the terrible addresses
of the French 59th and 82d Regiments, and of the Com-
mander at Rouen, who, in consequenee of the clum'iness
of the French police (" the worst in Europe," according
to the Emperor), beg to be employed " to sweep out the
den of assassins," meaning England, it would be the fol-
lowing petition from the 2d Zouaves, which has just ap-
peared in the Moniteur :
"To S. M. THE EMPEROR OP THE FRENCH.

"SIRE,—Your Majesty's devoted Second Regiment
of Zouaves approach your throne with profound emotion
and indignant congratulation.
" Miscreants from that murky (tenelo
where, amid eternal fogs, the genius of aristocratic de-
magogism unceasingly sharpens the arrows of treachery,
have aimed at your Majesty, and have failed. The
heart of your army bounds high (saute) at the intel-
ligence.
" We implore you, Sire, to accede to the prayer which
has been offered by some of your valiant soldiers, that
they may be sent to rout out assassination from its haunt
(repaire) and to admonish those who shelter it.
" Your faithful Zouaves, Sire, long served in the
Crimea by the side
.of the islanders, and by a strange
chapter of accidents, lost so much faith in their French
comrades as to get into the habit, of declining to go into
action unless the British were with them. They obtained
and saw no reason to reject the name of Providers for the
British Lion ( Chaeals), and they formed a military
friendship for that animal which manifested its,lt in
abundant interchange of kindnesses, and in the volun-
tary honours paid him by the Zouavee, when, at the end
of the war, ho departed for his isular caves.
" They therefore speak to your Majesty if matters
withia their knowledge, when they pray you to designate
for ttre service in England, the soldiera who must be
most desirous to establish in British eyes a character
slightly soiled (souille) by certain incidents of the
Crimean campaign.
" Especially, Sire, they would suggest to your Ma-
jesty's generosity to give the post of honour upon this
occasion to your respectable iviarices, wlio, upon a
certain 24th of February, being assailed by the Russians,
did effect a masterly retreat, with extreme speed, and
with their node backs to the barbarians. And the
honour Sire, should be shared by a certain Regiment of
your Line, which upon the same occasion did imitate
your gallant Marines, but perhaps with an increase
(addition) of speed. • Your faithful Zouaves retrieved
the day, and may therefore refer to it.
" We take the liberty of approaching you with this
petition, Sire, in order that we may atone for our some-
what thoughtless and damaging conduct towards those
Marines and that Regiment after the events of that
February day. We are sorry to say that we so far forgot
ourselves as to howl and hoot at any of them who
approached our quarters ; and, but for the friendly
stolidity of those impassable islanders, who were
requested to interfere, we should upon certain occasions
have finally demolished (eerase) those unfortunate men,
whose motives for running away we may unhappily
have misunderstood.
"We pray you, Sire, therefore, to designate the
Marines and the other Regiment for sweeping out the
lair of the insular animal who protects assassination, a
mode of warfare which his history and notorious
character testify to be unchangeably dear to him.
Signed, for the 2d Zouave, (Ciacits Anglais),
" February 2d." " PHILIBERT, Colonel."