The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-26 00:00:00

ROYAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.
Under the Management of Mr. Charles Kean.
T KIS BVENING will be presented Shakspere's Tragedy of

MACBETH.
Macbeth Mr. C. Kean : Lady Macbeth, Mrs. C. Kean.
Preceded by the Farce of
TIHRTY-THREE NEXT BIRTHDAY.

THEATRt-ROYAL, HAYMARKET-
Lessee, Mr. J. B. Ruckstone.
THIS EVENING, USED UP: Mr. C. Mathews.
After which, THE DAUGHTER OF THE GUADAL-
QUIVER. Perea Nena. '
M 1 MOTHER'S MAID.
And A KISS IN TfiE DARK.
Commence at 7.

ROYAL STRAND THEATRE.
Lessee and Directress, Miss Swanborongh.
THIS EVENING, THE LITTLE SAVAGE.
After which THE MAID AND THE MAGPIE.
WOOING IN JEST AND LOVING IN EARNEST
Miss Swanborough.
And THE BONNIE FISH WIFE.
Commence at 7 o'clock.

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,
'Westminster-road.
. Sole Lessee .Mr. William Cooke.
Stage Manager, Mr. R. Phillips.
Engagement or John Townsend, Esq., 31.1'. for Greenwich,
for Six Nights only.
THIS EVENING, and during the week, will be presented
Shakspere's Tragedy of KING RICHARD THE THIRD ;
or, The Death of White Surrey, reproduced with all its origi-
nal splendid effects. The Duke of Gloster, Mr. John Towns-
end, M.P.
Followed by the inimitable SCENES IN THE ARENA.
in which Mr. %V. Cooke, Mr. Runnels, Miss Kate Cooke, and
3ladlle. Blanche will appear.
To conclude with the popular farce of SHOOTING THE
MOON.

--•
No fees to box-keepers. The art of riding taught.
Carriages at eleven.

CANTERBURY HALL, Westminster-road.—
.Proprietor—e. Mowrox.
The public is most respectfully informed that 'the FINE
ARTS GALLERY, in connection with the above Hall, IS NOW
OPEN DAY AND NIGHT, from 11 o'clock a.m. until 12
o'clock p.m. The Nbw Gallery contains an extensive Collec-
tion of Pictures, by Ancient and Modern Masters .and is also
devoted to Art productions generally. The Proprietor feels
he may confidently assert that, viewed altogether, the. exist-
ing Music Hall, the New Fine Arts Gallery, and the recently
added Ante-Hall, will present an attraction which, whether
as regards the architectural beauty of the structures them-
selves, or the varied and hitherto unattempted combinations
within, will be found to be wholly without parallel in the
Kingdom.
The MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT commences as usual at
Seven o'clock.

THE WEATHER.—Sorr OFFICE, Nov. 26.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
54—highest since noon yesterday.
53—lowest this morning and during he night.
56—this day at noon.

BAROMETER-29.38.
WIND, S.W. ; light, with very mild weather, and sun.
shine.

The French police court has sentenced M. MoN-
TALEY BERT to imprisonment, with a fine, and that
is all, perhaps, that the judges see in their deci-
sion. They are but the tools of the " antechamber,"
and of the Imperial chamber itself, and have no-
thing to do but to turn with the shaft that moves
them. But all Europe sees a sentence passed by
the moving power, intentionally on England, un-
inteqionally, on itself. And, of all parties sen-
tenced, one alone is branded with everlasting dis-
grace. The Cautit was indicted for bringing the Em-
pire into contempt—but it may be safely affirmed
that nothing written by M. MONTALEMBERT has
brought the Empire into such contempt as this
prosecution, and, this sentence by a servile court.
There is now no evading the disgrace. The
EMPEROR might, if he were in the cue for
magnanimity—one which he has not thought it
worth while to assume lately—decline inflicting
the imprisonment and fine ; but he can never efface
from the Empire the stigma of having attempted
to silence the last breathings of French genius.
Our readers have seen the several counts of V. i
Imperial indictment of genius ; they have proba-
bly, most of them, either read the article itself, or
the passages selected for prosecution. This notable
trial, though crowded into the corner of a subordi-
nate French court, cannot be kept in a corner. The
subject matter of the prosecution being now in
E iglish as well as in French, lies before the whole
civilised world. Every man of tolerable education
can sit in judgment on the true character of M.
MONTALEMBERT'S pamphlet. Is it seditims ?
Does it aim at the subversion of false opinions by
unfair means ? Are the attacks upon Imperial
laws other than those to which any laws ought to
be liable--attacks of a kind which, if laws cannot
endure, they ought to be repealed ? Is there a
word beyond what a professed politician might
most reasonably write ? Anything, to be brief,
which could be objected to for a moment by an
intelligent and honest Government? Such ques-
tions have already been answered in the negative
throughout educated Europe, and educated Ame-
rica will, as soon as she has the document before

her, give the same answer.
So far as Imperial laws and the Imperial regime
generally are concerned, the only king of the pro-
secuted expressions is their truth. The language
cannot be called fierce, low, or provocative of insur-
rection. It is satire, no doubt, but satire so grace-
ful, so unenvenomed that, though certain minis-
terial delinquents_ must feel its pungeneyfit was
theirs to meet by the pen what the pen only could
meet, and what it was the last infamy of cowardice
to meet by imprisonments and fines. Revenge, no
doubt, is sweet, but it cannot always be taken with
impunity. A man may be provoked to the last
degree by an irritating woman's tongue, but
he had better, for his credit's sake amongst
men, not seek satisfaction for the provocation
by means of the superiority of masculine to femi-
nine strength. And despotic Governments, their
fists loaded with laws made for the purpose
of crushing any victim they please, can beat his
brains out if they like. But what have they done,
after all, except to brand themselves as intellectual
impotents and tyrants ? Lours NAPOLEON has not
on his side—has not positively one writer who
could give MONTALEMBERT satire for satire, wit
for wit. It is, perhaps, no discredit to a Cabinet
that •its members should be men of business rather
than writers ; but humiliating, indeed, is it that
any Government, professing to be the choice of the
nation, should not be able to find a single pen, not
even a hireling one, to answer an elegantly hostile
political pamphlet—that a Government of intellec-
tual France, the country which boasts itself of
being the Athens of Europe, should be obliged to
resort to brute force in its conflict with genius.
All in vain ! Genius is of far too ethereal a quality
to be murdered or silenced by such means. Blows
like these but show its vitality. MONTALEMBERT'S
dungeon and fine will give his sentiments voice

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THE SUN.
FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 26, 1838.