The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-04 00:00:00

FRANCE.

A letter from Paris published in several Legiti-
mist journals in the dep.rtments, says :
"A deputation, composed of about 150 young
men of the law and medical schools, waited on the
Pere Lacordaire, at the Carmes, to express to him
their congratulations on his speech in the French
Academy. The illustrious Dominican, though much
fatigued after his exertions of the previous day,
returned thanks in an animated discourse. He

dwelt particularly on the principle that liberty
alone can be advantageous to the true interests of
the Church, and that with it perhaps we should not,
have seen all that has passed within the last three
years. He concluded with the following words :
I believe I am a fervent Catholic, but I am certain
that I am an impenitent Liberal."

There must be something contagions in the
atmosphere of the French Home-office which even
the soundest moral constitution cannot resist.
The spirit of M. Billault, and others who have won
unenviable distinction by the harassing warfare
carried on against everything approaching to free
expression of thought, seems to defy exorcism, and
still haunts the familiar spot. Who would have
thought, a few weeks ago, that M. de Persigny,
who gave fair promise of a tolerant and just dispo-
sition in his dealing with the press, would reopen
the inglorious campaign, and in a fashion which
bids fair to throw his predecessors into the shade ?
His treatment of the Courrier du Dimanche pre-
sents a striking contrast to the liberal circulars
which the Minister issued on his accession to office.
The avertissements inflicted by previous Ministers
and their agents were often very harsh; some were
merely ludicrous blundering—such as that given
to a provincial paper for saying a few words
tending to disparage guano as manure. But it
has never happened that, as in the case of
the Courrier du Dimanche, the passages of
the article which drew down chastisement were
not produced as evidence of the supposed
offence. And certainly this is the first time
that, to the prejudice inflicted on the paper the
summary expulsion of the editor from France has
been added. To justify this Hotspur decision it is
alleged that the editor is a stranger, and that a
foreigner must not " insult" and " outrage" the
institutions of the country. M. de Persigny should
have remembered that the editor Gould not have
entered on his duties without the permission of
the Government ; that M. Ganesco being a
foreigner did not prevent the permission from
being accorded ; and that he should be treated
exactly as the French editor of a paper in similar
circumstances. Such of the papers as have
noticed this act of unprecedented severity, which,
coming from the quarter it does, astonishes
everybody, agree in blaming it so far 'as they
can venture to do so; the liberal Siecle as well as
the Legitimist Gazette de France. The Siecle
concludes its comments by saying that "it is a
very grave affair to drive into exile, to banish from
his adopted country, a person who for several years
past had all his interests in France ; who lived ac-
cording to French life ; and who has made a posi-
tion in France which he will not be able to find in
another country," bidding fair to surpass his prede-
cessors, and leaving nothing to be desired to his
subordinates.

There is a great movement of troops at present
throughout France, in consequence of the forma-
tion of depots for the army of reserve. Various
detachments of troops have sailed from Marseilles
to reinforce the French army at Rome, and others
are to follow. The conscripts of the year 1860 have
received orders to join their depots by the Ist
February,