The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

THE BMPE.

HE EXILES.

(From the Morin rg Advertiser.)
Stung by his defeat in the late elections, it
would appear that Louis Napoleon writhes once
more under the galling conviction that, within
sight of the shores he oppresses, there lies the free
soil of England, rejoicing in political inst-tutions,
against which domestic factjon and foreign levy
are alike vain and empty ; blest with a hardy and:;
cultivated raae, who, preserving from the earliest
times the germs of liberty, have so trained and
strengthened them, that they have foiled evan the
hurricane of Revolution, and struck root deeper ,
and deeper into the constitution. Between that
British race and this despot's subjects, the last few
years have seen a new spirit grow up ; both nations •
' pouring oil into the wounds of manycenturics, and
se dinetheir late-born friendship by mingling their
blood in the cause of a threatened nationality.
The military feats of the Crimea formed, indeed'
for a time, a ray of glory circling the Imperial dia-
dem.
But the hour of triumph had hardly passel'
away, when the thorns with which that Crown was'
interwoven began to pierce. Frenchmen and Br:-,
tons bad cemented their friendship with their blood.
Their names had been writ toge her on many a glo-
rious trophy. They had challenged depotiem in the
person of i s most renowned champion, and had, to-
gether, compelled him to bite the dust. The din of
battle ceased, and its clouds passed away, but before
the treaty was signed which dispelled firm], the
cloven foot of despotism peeped from under the Im-
perial throne of France—Napoleon leaned to Alex.:
ander. It was but natural that birds which plumed
them elves on the similarity of their feathers should
perch on the same bough. But the tough old
British lion lay growling at the root of the tree, and
when he began to roar in earnest, and thi eatenwl
to tear up their treaty, root and branch, the eagles
of the Houses both of Romanoff and Napoli on were
silenced. But the great French nation saw what
was going on, and began to lose faith in its idol.
In the hour of his triumph the image fell from its
pedestal, and its worshippers found that its proud
feet were made only of clay.
The Providence which dements what it designs
to destroy, much about this time induced that sin-
gular accident, the Emperor of the French to
assault the liberties of the Belgian Press ; and the
just, manly stand against dictation made by that
little kingdom was exchanged for a compromise
somewhat ignoble, but not, perhaps, unwise its
so small a power, seeing that the Plenipotentiary,
of the great British nation had endorsed the des-
pot's protest. It was not, however, expected that
the next act of aggression would be perpetrated on
British soil, and that a demand would be made
upon us to oust a French refugee from the hospi-
tality of the British hearth. Still lees was it ima-
gined that from the lips of the Emperor himself a
rebuke would go forth, and addressed—of. all
things in the world—to the British Press ! But such
was the fact. If it had been in British nature
to submit, we should have been sold to the Emperor
of Russia ; we should have been compelled to drive
away from ourshores Victor Hugo and his brethren
in exile ; and—worst of all—to surrender the
glory and safety of our nation—the freedom of
the Press. But Louis Napoleon reckoned without
his host. Our hospitality and freedom were sac-
rifices too precious to make for the alliance of
the Bonaparte. Of the alliance of his subjects we
were sure. That compact was complete.
But not baffled by these signal defeats, Louis
Napoleon now tries his hand again. Associating
with him, as we have good reason to believe—the
other despotic governments of Europe, he has pro-
claimed his august will with reference to this
country in the semi-official journal, the Pays. It
would be a pity to dilute this insolence by altering
the form in which it is expressed, and therefore
we give it as the Imperial amanuensis wrote it
down :

" Since the re-establishment of the empire, the French
revolutionists only show signs of existence as a corps de
reserve. Every attempt that has been made in France
has been made by Italians, and the men who will appear
at the bar of the Assizs Court of the Seine, next month,
are also Italians. Such a state rf things calls for a
vigorous repression. It is from Loudon that all
these attempts emanate, and it is in London that
the evil must be attacked at its source. That the Eng-
lish people should think it an honour that their country
should be the asylum for a'l who are unfortunate is
no doubt a generous sentiment, and one which we can-
not but make allowance for.• But if it be proved that
London has become the principal theatre of conspiracies
directed against all continental Governments, that con-
dottieres are enlisted there for a democratic and social
war, that arms and ammunition are manufactured there
for the purposes of assassination and civil war, the Eng-
lish people, with that practical good sense of which they
justly boast, will admit that such an abuse of hospitality
deprives the conspirators of every right to the protection
of laws meant for the security of the exile, and that
energetic measures are called for to give satisfaction to
the interests of nations allied with England, and to the
public conscience which has been so long outraged by
revolutionary excesses."
Here we have a laboured exordium and an ap-
parently reasonable peroration. But the plain Eng-
lish of it all is, that Louis Napoleon, back 41 by the
Continental Governments, is anxious to try his
hand on English hospitality, and to compel the. Br-
itish Government to succumb to the views of a
coali-
tion of despots. It is all very fine to wrap up preg-
nant matter in the complicated folds of many words.
But what the Pays means is that despotism will suffer
the English game of hospitality no longer, if it can
help it. Surely the Bonaparte must have been de-
mented indeed, if he imagine that such a threat, so
Wiallow and so insolent, would be tolerated by the
British pelple. We have at present at the head of
affairs the last man in the world to be influenced
by so contemptible a threat ; a Statesman far more
likely to resent th to acquiesce in its demands.
But were the most craven Minister that ever dis-
graced British councils at the head of affairs, he
dared not ! l'sten to such language. Behind the
British Government stands the British nation, awl
no mock Emperor, no bolstered royalty, no aggre-
gate of despots, can shake its power, or move it
from its traditions of freedom and hospitality.

_RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GRAND TRUNK CANADA.

The Londo❑ directors of this company state in
their report that the sections of the railway that
were unfinished at the date of the last report,—
namely, from Guelph to Stratford, 25 miles, and
from Brockville to Toronto, 210 miles, were com-
pleted for t.affio in October last year, thus making
the total mileage of the company 849 miles.
The directors learn by their last advices from
Canada that a traffic agreement of a very satisfac-
tory character is nearly completed between the
Montreal Ocean Steam Company and the Grand
Trunk Company. A monthly line of screw steamers
from Liverpool to Portland, calling at St. John's,
Newfoundland, and Halifax, was established at the
commencement of this year, and the directors are
informed that it is about to be converted into a
fortnightly line. Other steamship proprietors have
been in communication with the company on the
subject of running vessels in connection with the
Grand Trunk Railway. At the commencement of
the present year a thorough traffic and emigration
department was orpniz-d iu the London office.
Many of the persons who have already travelled with
through tickets, purchased previously to their leav-
ing Great Britain, have communicated totheir friends
at home the excellence of the arrangements for
their protection, and the comfort' and speed with
which they have been conveyed to•their destina-
tions. The receipts on capital account to the 31st
of Decemt er, 1856, amounted to 7,727,4301., and
the expenditure to 7,551,5891., leaving a balance
of 175,8401. The revenue for theshalf-year ending
the 31st of December, 1856, showed that 170,836/.
had been received, and 143,8531. expended, leaving
a balauce of 26,9831.