The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-26 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The Debats thus replies to au article in the
Univers deploring the principle of equality which
forms the basis of French legislation in matters of
hereditary transmission of property :
"The Legislative Corps, it is known, is engaged in
examining a bill-which confers on Marshal Pelissier an
hereditary pension of 100,000 fr. If we allude to this
bill it is in order to applaud the sectiment which bestows
on the conqueror of Sebastopol a reward for services
rendered to France. But we owe a reply to the obser-
vations made on this subject by the Univers. The
great prine'ple of equality before the law, Me quality
before justice, which that journal disikes, is the
key-stone of modern society, of the society founded
by the French revolution. To demand the restora-
tion of ancient privileges, of the ancient inequality, is
to exact the destruction of the society in which we live ;
it is tantamount to levelling the tree planted by our-
fathers in the night of the 4th of August, 1789. We
are inspired with no democratical preju,lice ; we feel
no inclination for the brutal and blind equality which
only results in the dissolution of soc'al bonds and in
an absolute levelling. But without disguising the im-
perfections and weak sides of society such as the revolu-
tion and the civil code have made it, we prefer it im-
mensely to the society of the ancien regime,' to the so-
ciety founded on the right of primogeniture, the right of
male succession, &c. We are aware that a society consti-
tuted on the principle of civil equality is more difficult to
govern than a society founded on privileges and on hie-
rarchical distinctions. The right of primogeniture, we
admit, possessed certain advantages both for individuals
and for society ; but the said advantages belong to the
same order of ideas as those now invoked in the great
American reputlic in defence of slavery. Slaves are so
happy I is the saying beyond the Atlantic ; younger sons
and serfs were so happy ! say the partisans of the right
of primogeniture and the admirers of the middle ages.
We are only very slightly affected with this happi-
ness esti with similar advantages. We accept and
we regard the principle of civil equality as an im-
mense progress of reason, justice, and humanity, as
a conquest which is equally profitable to the mate-
rial prosperity and to the personal dignity of mankind.
Happily, this peinciple is now an institution which de-
fends and maintains itself by its own strength, and
which will not be pr. judiced by the puerile declamations
of the Univers. The whole world comprehends. the
variety of those reactionary pretensions and utopias
which have for aim to resuscitate laws, customs, insti-
tutions, and a whole society dead and buried some 60 years
ago. What would become of the principles of '39, guaran-
teed by the existing constitution, were all the reactionary
interpretaions, all tee arbitrary distinctions which are
daily offered, t.) be accepted I The world is now swarm-
ing with individuals who have the pretension to
correct and mo lily the programme of 'B9. The Univers
would fain deprive it of the principle of equality ; others
would retrench all liberty. The revolution is thus ex-
posed to two fires, and is menaced with the fate of the
individual in the fable, who, between his young and his
elderly wives, lost alike his grey and black hairs. The
result is easily to be foreseen ; were care not taken, the
whole programme would vanish, and the revolution
would be entirely despoiled. What we seek and desire
is the integrity of the programme ; we do not distinguish
equality from liberty ; we have ever defended, and %re
shall continue to defend, with all our power those two
grand principles, without distinguishing one from the
other, or without sacrificing the first to the seconolf
The Union coutain3 the following reflections on
the triumph of the Palmerston Cabinet in the div
sion on the budget.

"Notwithstanding the imposing majority which has
been obtained by the English Cabinet, clear-minded in-
dividuals will still question the duration of the adminis•
tration headed by Lord Palmerston. We will not enter
into conjectures which may appear hazardous. We will
confine ourselves to stating that, in our opinion, the
skirmish on the motion of Mr. Disraeli will neither prove
to be the most terrible n ;r most decisive of the trials re-
served for the British Cabinet. Other struggles await it ;
other dangers menace it on a ground purely political.
It has only entered the arena where various oppositions
are prepared to engage it ; all depends on the attitude
of its competitors, and, in particular, on that of the frac-
tion of Tories."

BOURSE, Feb. 25.—The following were the lase
quotations :

End of Month.
—fr. -c.
70 25

44 per Cents .. 95 50
3 per Cents 7O
New Loan
Bank Shares
Credit. Mobilier 1,425 Austrian
Belgian Fives ...... .. —• Spanish Threes
Piedinontese (5) 9l Home Debt
RAILIVATS—FOR CABII.
tr. e..tr c
Orleans 1,410 Western 825
Northern 945 Strasburg
Lyons 1,423 New Ditto
Mediterranean 1,820 • Grand Central
Lyons Geneva
Cette