The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 26, 1868.

of the Prince has not been a successful one, and
so we may expect that nothing of its nature will be
allowed to transpire. Perhaps it is all for the best
that it shotald have turned out so, for the interests
of Europe could hardly be furthered by the closer
alliance of France and Germany, 4nd the King of
PRUSSIA is more likely to be kept up to the mark if
he thinks that the EMPEROR is on the watch to
spy out deficiencies than if he feels assured that an
entente cordiale is established between them, and thus
all shortcomings will be obviated and all discre-
pancies passed over in silence. It cannot be
affirmed that the state of affairs on the Continent
is altogether reassuring in any respect ; but to gain
time is something, and the longer a war is put off
the better, more especially when we take into ac-
count the lamentable state of depression that has
prevailed in all directions. Foreign policy abounds
in these sudden starts and suspicions, and
what would seem very strange if it took place
among us is only an ordinary and everyday affair
with them. Be this as it may, the visit of Prince
NAPOLEON has shown one thing, beyond a doubt,
and that is, that no one would be at all surprised to
hear that the friendly relations between certain
Powers were to be exchanged for a hostile attitude.

President JOHNSON has just put his veto upon
another of the Radical bills, and this time it would
be difficult for the warmest supporters of the revo-
lutionary policy to bring forward any constitutional
arguments in its favour. The bill in question pro-
hibits appeals from the Circuit Court to the Supreme
Court, and it is evident that by such means grave
injustice may be perpetrated, and individuals will
lose a very great protection against local oppression
and unfairness. The Circuit Courts under the new
regime are not such models of-wisdom and impar-
tiality that their decisions should be accepted as
final. The bill is dangerous in another aspect, since
it shows the determination of Congress to override
every other power in the State. We have had
ample evidence that the House of Representatives
assumes to itself the practical direction of the affairs
of the country, and that they consider the Execu-
tive to be in a completely subordinate position.
The notion that a house of popular Representatives
has the right or the power to control and regulate
the judicial ;ribunals of the country is something quite
new, and altogether contrary to constitutional doc-
trine. Under such a system there would be no
guarantee left for the rights and privileges of the
people. It would be thought somewhat singular
for the House of Commons to decide that hence-
forward no appeals were to be made from the lower
courts to the Court of Chancery. It is the PRESI-
DENT'S interest just now to preserve the authority
of the law intact; but to do Mr. JOHNSON justice,
he has stoutly maintained the same principle
throughout. If Congress were once al-
lowed to override law throughout all the
States in the same manner as they have done
in the South the way to a modified reign of terror
would be open. In America, indeed, there would
be little fear of a repetition of the massacres of
Paris and Nantes, but there would be the same
subversion of all recognised law, the same predo-
minance of a reckless and desperate assembly, to
be followed, of course, in due time by a military
dictatorship. America at large is not prepared for
this whatever, the personal inclinations of the
leading Radicals, and the bill upon which Mr.
JOHNSON has just put his veto can hardly fail
to meet with the condemnation of every unpre-
judiced and impartial politician. We have
already seen that Congress permits military
law to override civil law, but now it appears that
Congress itself is to be superior to both, so that the
separate functions usually belonging to half-a-dozen
different branches of the VAxecutive are to be ab-
sorbed by the carelessly constituted Assembly, who
have proclaimed themselves superior to every other
authority, past or present.
Of the progress of the Impeachment we hear no-
but the mail which left New thing by the telegraph,
York on the 14th brings us news that the PREsI-
DENT has been ordered to file his answer to the
charges brought against him by the 23d inst., and
that the trial was to proceed as soon as the replica-
tion should be filed by the House, so that we shall
probably have further intelligence within a few
days.

The grand reception at the new Foreign Office
last evening passed off with unusual brilliancy, and
we may consider it as the inauguration of a more
happy and prosperous season than has of late years
smiled upon the West End. Last year there was
gloom and disappointment everywhere. The me-
lancholy illness of the beautiful and popular
Princess, whose presence had lent such a charm to
the festivities of preceding seasons, was of itself
sufficient to dispirit the upper circles, and her ab-
sence as head of the Court, during the retire-
ment of her MAJESTY, deprived even the most
pompous ceremonials of much of their attraction.
After a tedious and painful illness, however, we are
now called upon to welcome her again among those
brilliant and courtly scenes where she is especially
formed to shine; and, with the return of ALEX-
ANDRA, every other circumstance seems to respond
to the Laureate's celebrated appeal and grow bright
to welcome her. Trade is reviving, the dark shade
which has hung over financial and commercial circles
during the last two years is passing away, the fine-
ness of the early spring weather promises well for
the crops whose failure has been of late one
of our principal sources of anxiety, and there
is a general reaction. The occasion which
the Princess of WALES selected for her public re-
appearance,
too, had especial features of interest.
The host and hostess of the evening have of late
filled prominent places in public attention, and
there has been an expression of general satisfaction
that Mr. DISRAELI'S long course of arduous and
unaided political labours should be crowned with
such brilliant success. Englishmen like to see a
self-made man achieve distinction, and the dreams
of early and daring ambition have seldom
been more strikingly fulfilled than when Mr.
DISRAELI last evening welcomed the Heir-
Apparent and his Consort as his honoured guests.
The recovery of Mrs. DISRAELI from the dangerous
illness which threw so dark a cloud over the autumn
session was a matter of general congratulation ;
and it is no great wonder that with so many objects
of interest the rooms should have been thronged
with eager friends, and that the voice of rejoicing
was heard on all sides in the scene of Mr. SCOTT'S
new architectural triumph.

SMUGGLING AT HOLYHEAD.—Yesterday Captain
Hall, of the brig Hyppolita, from Liverpool, bound to
Demerara, in the harbour of refuge at Holyhead, was
charged before the magistrates with smuggling. It was
proved that he had landed 22 cases of "Geneva," Which
were disposed of to Mrs. Mann, a publican. He was fined
£5O, Mrs. Mann £25, and the " Geneva" was forfeited.
THE CASE OF SHOOTING A POLICEMAN AT PILL.
—At the late assizes at Taunton two men: named Hicks
and Bryant, labourers, wore indicted for shooting a con-
stable, named Ogburn, at Pill, near Bristol. Being con-
victed, they were sentenced, the one to ten and the other
to five years' penal servitude. It having since transpired,
on unquestionable evidence, that Bryant knew nothing of
the crime, being elsewhere at the time it was committed,
Lord Chi of Justice Bovill, who heard the case, on learning
these facts, ordered Bryant to be set at liberty upon his
entering into his own recogaisances to appear when called
upon.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
iARIS, WEDNESDAY, March 21

As I have already mentioned, Prince Napoleon returned
here on Sunday night. The next morning he had a long
interview with the Emperor, lasting till after noon. Of
course, nothing definite is known concerning the interview,
but it is generally supposed that the Prince's journey will
tend towards the maintenance of peace, it being supposed
that he has seen enough during his visit to convince
him of the formidable difficulties which a campaign
against Prussia would involve. At the same time,
it is thought that the Prince has not got anything
out of the Prussian Government. The semi-official an-
nouncement in the Constitutionnel denying the rumoured
visit of the Emperor to Berlin and St. Petersburg, coming
directly after the Prince's return to Pal i;, is considered by
most persons to indicate that Bismarck is unwilling to
enter into any engagements with France respecting the
Eastern question, or, indeed, any other ; and that there-
fore an Imperial journey to the Prussian capital would be
useless. If, therefore, peace is the order of the day, it is
so because Napoleon is afraid to make war ; because his
cousin has assured him that any movement against Prussia
would precipitate Southern Germany into her arms. In
the meanwhile the preparations—l will not say for war, but
preparations which will enable France to make war if she
pleases—are going on actively, and loud are the complaints
-* the enormous expenditure of the Government.

The full accounts of the disturbances at Bordeaux, pub-
lished in the local papers, chew that the affair was
infinitely more serious than was admitted by the semi-
official Paris journals, or than was supposed even by the
Opposition journals. To-day we have news of fresh
demonstrations, though in this case not attended with
violence. At Montceau-les-Mines, certain persons who
have not been discovered planted upon a kiosque in tl •
Place de l'Eglise a red flag, bearing on the one side the
words " Vive la R6publique," and on the other "A has la
.Garde Mobile." At Mans, while the enlistment was
going on, the people sang several verses from the " Mar-
seillaise " and " Charlotte la R6publicaine." Your
readers will notice that in all these affairs there is never
the least demonstration in favour of the old dynasty. It
is not with the people a question between Napoleon 111.
a►nd Henry V., but between l'Empire and la Bepublique.
The Etendard says that several journals have spoken of
an intended visit of the Empress to Vienna. It believes
that they are mistaken ; it is, however, probable that the
Empress of Austria (who was prevented from seeing the
Exhibition last year) will pay a visit to Paris after her
recovery from her confinement, probably in June. The
event will be the occasion for splendid fetes. In other
words, the Paris shopkeepers, who are sorely crying out
just now, are to have another golden harvest this summer
though, of course, not so bountiful as last year's.
The Pays, "Journal de l'Empire," as it styles itself,
should remember Talleyrand's warning against too much
zeal. It is always overdoing its part, and getting its
patrons into trouble. The Kerveguen scandal was
caused by M. Cassagnac's intense desire to damage the
journals which opposed the Government, and while the
memory of that affair is still fresh, he commits another
blunder, for which the semi-official Etendard takes him
to task. He said that " the National Mobile Guard was
an imposing army placed at the service of the Conserva-
tive party." In a word, it_was an army levied in the rural
districts in order to keep order in the towns. The Etendard
denies this damaging assertion, and says that except as
regards its monthly training the force has no legal exist-
ence, and cannot be mobilised without the consent of both
Houses of the Legislature, and then only to supplement
the vacancies caused in the army by the employment of
the regular troops in time of war.
A very remarkable instance of the mischief which the
Imperial Government does to itself by restraining the
liberty of the press has just been mentioned. All Europe
has lately had to listen to the most terrible accounts of
famine in Algeria—famine so frightful that mothers have
been eating their children, as they did during the last days
of Jerusalem. It is now stated that the Courrier de
l'Alyerie predicted as long ago as last September that the
dearth was coming, and for this honest warning the editor
was prosecuted by the Government on a charge of publish.
ing " false news," and was sentenced to a month's ha.
prisonment. It is difficult to conceive greater infatuation than
this. Sir Cecil Beadon refusing to listen to the warning
of the impending Orissa famine was blameworthy enough,
but even he did not go to the length of punishing the pro-
phets for prophesying evil things. It was reserved for one
of the " only three men in Europe" to repeat the old stor
of Ahab and Micaiab.
It is again rumoured that the French Chambers will b
dissolved at the end of the present session, and that there
will be a general election in July, when it will be seen if
the Army, the Press, and the Public Meetings Bills are
really as unpopular as has been stated. If this rumour be
true the meaning of the Imperial pamphlet is explained.

The Journal des Debats has a long article on Prince
Napoleon's visit to Germany, and says that it was prompted
solely by a desire to see for himself the political condition of
the country. The Prussian Government offered him every
facility. The same journa4ays that Prussia earnestly desires
peace, for a war would not cnly not benefit her, but would
expose her to the risk of losing all her acquisitions made
in 1866. For this reason Prussia would gladly see a
general disarmament. But while King William and
Bismarck on the one side, and Napoleon and M. Roulier
on the other, are all for peace, they are carrying on their
armaments with a degree of activity which gives us the
measure of the confidence to be attached to peace declara-
tions. In the Budget for 1869 the sum set down for
clothing and camp equipage is about £790,000, and that for
the purchase of horses alone at about £330,000. With
these figures staring one in the face, and with the increase
of the army before us, to find disarmament being brought
on the tapis is a serious sign, inasmuch es it indicates the
possibility that before long one of the two Powers will
take umbrage at these warlike preparations, and demand
that they shall cease, a demand which will be the begin .
ning of war.

The French Jockey Club a little while ago warned a
well-known gentleman of the turf, M. Vaillant, from off
the racecourses under their control, on account of having
run as a new horse one which had already won a race in
Ireland. M. Vaillant appealed to the Paris courts, and
laid his damages at £4,000. The court has decided that
the Jockey Club, as a tribunal to which all persons entering
horses at these races had submitted, was sovereign in the
matter, and dismissed the suit, with costs.
The want of small coin in Southern Italy is becoming
more sensibly felt every day. The order of the Govern-
ment restricting the premium upon copper to 4 per cent.
has had the effect of causing all the copper currency to
disappear, and the money-changers say that they are
wholly unable to supply any. In one place the premium
has' actually risen to 27 per cent. Small change is now
given in postage stamps.
The Naples correspondent of the Times describes a most
exciting pursuit of brigands in the mountainous district
between Rome and Naples. The troops received
information of the proximity of one band, and gave
chase. The brigands instantly dispersed in their
usual fashion, and, feeling sore of escape on account of
their greater agility and better knowledge of the country,
hurled insults at their pursuers. But very shortly these
taunts were exchanged for prayers to the Madonna.
Major Lombardi had taken the precaution to occupy all
the different passes, and so when the brigands attempted
to get by, they found themselves caught. A large number
were shot down, others were taken prisoners, and amongst
them were two female brigands. One was the sister of
the chief Marino, and the mistress of Pace ; another, only
15 years of age, had been sold by her father to a brigand
named Longo, for 850 lire. All seemed to be indifferent
to their position, and great disgust was felt by the by-
standers at seeing the woman Marino, while bound to the
dead body of her brother, coolly drink the soup which was
provided for her by the municipality of Mignano. Ap
unfortunate Italian, Petrillo by name, had been taken
captive some time before, and the brigands, unwilling to
lose a prisoner for whom they expected a great ransom,
endeavoured to carry him off, but Petrillo managed to
make signs by which the troops recognised him, and he
was rescued. When released he was almost frantic from
excitement.

The Fenians declare that Ireland is in the same condition
as Poland. We wonder if they will be able to produce any
instances of " British misrule " in the slightest degree
approaching to the following list of penalties which is
given in a Russian -not Polish—newspaper. A citizen of
Vilna was fined £l6 for leaving a Russian church before
the end of the service ; a tradesman was fined £8 fur not
illuminating a house he was building, although it was a
mere shell ; another was fined £4 because a servant enter-
ing his shop asked him in Polish the price of oil ; a house.
owner was fined £BO for having introduced a crow into a
fresco in his house, the said crow being interpreted by the
Government to mean the Polish eagle ; the neighbours of
a deceased landowner were fined £4 each for going to hie
funeral without permission ; a lady was fined £4B fox
giving, without leave, a ball to celebrate her daughter's
marriage, although all the guests were provided with the
necessary authority.

Al Cambridge, the proposal of the Syndicate to admit
students to the university without compelling them to
enter a college has given rise to a very warm discussion.
Mr. Reyner, of St. John's, denounced it in language that
was actually violent. Mr. Perowne, of Corpus, opposed it
with greater moderation. The majority were all the other
way, and included leading um like the Master of St.
John's (Dr. Bateson), the Master of Christ's, Profe-,,m
Liveing, and Mr. Sidgwick. At Oxford the congrega•
tion has decided, by large majorities, in favour of admit•
ting to the university students unconnected with 192$