The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-11 00:00:00

THE FRENCH PRESS.

Every appearance within the last few days jus-
tifies us in anticipating a complete change in the
foreign policy of the Emperor of the French. The
announcement in the Moniteur has been followed
by the resignation by. Prince Napoleon of his office
as Minister of Algeria, and, gradually descending
the Imperial gamut, we arrive at the feeble echo of
the semi-official Constitutionnel. The object of
this last article is to vindicate to the world the
conduct of the Emperor in not involving Europe in
the calamities of war. The task is entirely a super-
fluous one. Let the Constitutionnel reserve its
eloquence to defend the Emperor for not having
given his subjects some slight remains of the liberty
which they once enjoyed. Let it defend, if it can,
his financial management, or show that the cause
of good government is materially advanced by the
bondage in which he holds the press. These are the
matters that require defence, because they offend
the general sense and feeling of mankind. But, as
good wine needs no bush," peace, tranquillity,
and progress require no honeyed phrases to com-
mend them to the acceptance of mankind. They
speak for themselves with an eloquence deeper and
more penetrating than that of words. France,
which for the first time since the establishment of
the Empire, has given a most unmistakeable vent to
her opinion, will willingly excuse the Constitutionnel
from proving to her that she has been right, and
England will very much prefer being assured of the
certainty of the fact to any amount of eloquence
that may be offered for its exculpation. Let the
French Government and its organs believe that, so
long as they are content to range themselves on
the side of enlightened public opinion, they require
neither eloquence nor circumlocution to justify
their course, and learn how safe and easy is the
path of those who, being entrusted with the govern-
ment of men, are content to regulate themselves by
the wishes of the people and the true interests of
the State, instead of by perverse vanity and self-
willed ambition. "Peace taken when offered, and
no questions asked," is the motto of the English
people on the present occasion. We desire no re-
trospects ;we want no controversies. We want
peace. Give us that, and take all the satisfaction
that words can give, as a counterpoise for the loss
of the pleasures and excitements of war.
Some things are easier done than said, especially
to those whose power is omnipotent, but whose
reason does not rise above the common level of
the human faculties. The strong point of despot-
ism is not reason, but action. It is in vain the
organs of absolute power exhaust all the sources
of their venal rhetoric. The power which com-
mands obedience cannot enforce conviction, and
the mind, proud of its inalienable liberty, re-
pudiates the attempt to force on it conclusions
which its reason disdains. The Constitutionnel had
better not endeavour to prove to us that the Impe-
rial policy remains the same, firm, conciliatory, and
frank ; that its programme has not been changed •
that it has been traced in a sufficiently elevated
point of view and been followed with sufficient
honour to have been persevered in. All this vague
phraseology means nothing, and persuades nobody.
A really elevated policy makes itself sufficiently
well known to the minds of men without being
compelled to trumpet forth its own elevation, and
honour can be fully felt and appreciated without
perpetually reminding us how honourable it is.
Let the Imperial Government desist from praising
itself, and leave its merits to the candid apprecia-
tion of its neighbours. The Moniteur has spoken
words of peace ; it is well. The Constitutionnel
has re-echoed them ; it is well also. Let them be
content with allowing us to believe their assertions
to be true, without insisting at the same time that
we should admit the falsehood of facts which rest
we not be-
on evidence equally good. Why may

_
iv. EW S PAPER
lreve in peace now, without being fi,t-tile
called upon to profess our
itocat:pr::.. ei. ;7;--,'i.•;:"•,
_Lii_
ere never has been the slig - ,Linche,:At. 1
being disturbed, that the wh I
(/i0
... 4 alra,
,?,,
grC32IC , , 1.1,1.1!,:.' 4 r--,
the whole French press, the wh 0 ,Colgi ,4
try,—that Germany, England, SkrAi#4 :;--swv -rpiY,.. !:...1
bardy have been entirely rnisakeri;--:*na.htrAtiw
. there never has existed the slightestigtranditionS
for a panic which has depreciated stocks and shares
to the amount of 60 millions, which has occasioned
in every quarter a vast expenditure of money in
warlike preparations, and the effects of which will
be felt through every quarter of the civilised world
long after their cause has paSs*.way I) We know
that the French Legislature -Allowed symptoms,
tame and malleable as it haehitherto been, of
refusing a war budget. We know that Germany
was animated by a spirit similar to that of 1813,
which would soon have carried away all resistance
to its demands. We know that England expressed
the strongest dissent from the proposed Italian.
Revolution, and that the French people and Mini-
stry, as one man, protestc.' agains* the idea of war.
Knowing all these things, we can well conceive
that the Emperor, by the exercise of far less pru-
dence and foresight than he is reputed to possess,
has been led to abandon his warlike projects; but
we protest against the assertion that these projects
never existed because they have been abandoned,
or that our apprehensions were chimerical because
they are unrealised.
We believe that France will be just as glad as
we are to receive this intimation of peace, and
that her pleasure would be increased were the
pleasing intimation conveyed to her unaccom-
panied by arguments and comments, which lead
us not unreasonably to doubt its sincerity.
We could believe without difficulty that the re-
turning good sense of the Emperor has made him
abandon his idea of war, but why weaken that con-
viction by insisting at the same time that he never
had the intention ? If we are to receive the first
of these propositions as equally probable with the
second, we can repose no faith in either, and it is
only by remembering the kind of rhetoric which
passes current in the official organs of the French
Government, and the habits of intrepid assertion
and the utter dispensation from proof engendered
by the knowledge that whatever is written cannot
be answered, that we can induce ourselves to reject
the assertion that peace was never intended to be
violated, while we accept the promise that for the
future, at least, it will be observed.—Times.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—March 10. •

MARYLEBONE.—Catherine Howe, Ann Mor-
gan, and George Thomson, alias Totsy, a cabman,
were charged on remand with having been con-
cerned is a robbery of silk to the amount of £4OO,
the property of Messrs. Moss and Goodman, 169
and 170, Edgeware-road, whose premises were
broken and entered on the morning of the 10th ult.,
and the goods in question carried off.
Some additional evidence was now gone into, and
the man Thompson was ultimately discharged.
The two female prisoners were remanded on other
charges till Thursday next.
John Darby and John Thompson were re•ex-
amined, charged with having burglariously entered
the premises of Mr. Carter, Park-street, Camden-
town, and stolen therefrom a quantity of jewellery,
&c., to the amount of nearly .£5OO.
The officers now brought forward additional
evidence, from which it was shown that some of the
property found by them had been stolen from the
premises of Mr. Stacey, jeweller, &c., St. Alban's-
p, lace Edgeware-road, whose house was broken
into on the night of the 25th ult., and £l5O worth
of goods stolen. The officers produced fresh wit-
nesses, and the prisoners were committed for trial
on two charges. Two other indictments will be
preferred against them at the sessions, one for a
robbery at Mr. Buckingham's, Baker-street, and
the other at Mr. Priest's, Edgeware-road ; in both.
cases the property carried off was of considerable
value.

THAMES.—James Coyle, a labourer, aged 35,
of No. 11, Kirby-street, Bromley, was brought up
on remand, charged with assaulting James Smith,
another labourer, of No. 18, St. Anne-street,
Limehouse, and biting off the end of his nose.
The particulars of the case have appeared in Me
Sun. The outrage was committed during a fight.
All the evidence having been heard,
Mr. Elliott said the fighting was fair enough up
to a certain point, and then a savage assault was
committed by Coyle. He fined the prisoner £5, or,
in default, two months' imprisonment.

SOUTHWARK. Edward Harris, a coster-
monger, was charged with throwing a rope over
the head of Emma Beckett, Nearly strangling her,
and robbing her of a £5 Bank of England note.
The prosecutrix, a girl about 17 years of age,
said she had been married to a " navvy" six months,
and on Tuesday afternoon she was stopped by a
gentleman near Newington-causeway, who wanted
her to accompany him to an improper place. She
told him she was a married woman, and refused
to have anything to do with him. He, however,
followed her, gave her a £5 note, and left her. She
afterwards went into a publichouse close by and
treated a friend and the prisoner with a quartern
of gin. While standing there the prisoner threw a
rope over her head and pulled her out of the house,
nearly strangling her, and in the scuffle he stole the
£5 note from her. The police came up after she
had released herself, and she gave the prisoner into
custody.
Mr. Burcham—This is a very extraordinary and
improbable story. I cannot believe that any man
would be so foolish as to give a girl a £5 note for
nothing.
Prisoner—l went into the publichouse, but I
never touched her or saw a £5 note.
Mr. Burcham—Was the landlord or any of his
servants there at the time?

Proseeutrix—The landlady was there, but I don't
think she saw the £5 note, as I had not been in the
house a minute before I was pulled out with the
rope.

282 M said he was on duty in Newington-cause-
way on Tuesday afternoon, when he saw a mob at
the door of the publichouse. On arriving there
he perceived the prosecutrix having hold of the
prisoner, whom she charged with robbing her of a
£5 note. He took him into custody and searched
him, but only two penny pieces were found upon
him.
The case was adjourned for a short time that
inquiries might be made. On the prisoner being
again brought up,
The constable said that the landlady was in the
bar all the afternoon, and there was no disturbance
in her house. There was a row outside, but she
never saw any woman with a £5 note.
Mr. Burcham—Where is the prosecutrix ?
Sergeant Gardner—She is not in attendance, sir.
I really don't think she had a£s note. If she had
it's more likely that she stole it from the gentle-
man, as she was under the influence of liquor and
was with suspicious characters.
Mr. Burcham—The prisoner is discharged.

LAMBETH.—Mary Ann Adams, housemaid in
the service of a gentleman residing at Dulwich,
who has been in custody for the last week on the
charge of concealing the birth of her illegitimate
offspring, cutting up its body into small pieces, and
flinging them into two waterclosets on her master's
premises, was re-examined, and again remanded.

HAMMERSMITH.—The two young women,
Mary Ann O'Connor and Clara Willby, who were
charged last week with being concerned in stealing
a cashbox containing about £1.60 in bank-notes,
gold, and silver, and a number of valuable docu-
ments, belonging to Mrs. Susan Maddox, the land-
lady of the King and Queen public-house, High-
street, Kensington, were brought up for further
examination.
After some additional evidence,
Mr. Dayman discharged Willby, and remanded
the other prisoner for a week.