The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-11 00:00:00

PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE.

Pants DEC. -4,---Oor Ministers continue to
give faint signs of life. What they fear the most
in the World is, that it should be perceived they
have a will of their own. Not %vishing to dis-
please either the party of the preachers, which is
all-powerful at Court, or the Liberals, whose in-
fluence over public opinion is not powerful, they
think they can do nothing better than remain in
inaction, and allow things to take what course
they please. If any circumstance compels them
to manifest their existence, and to declare for
one party or the other, they hasten, after a first
sense, in
contraryoacati,ertothpaetrftih)erneilanseiliebortilidiminmaaN
Some time since they organizetliott be d
the Council
State ; they have divided the Councillors inta
Councillors,
formed
a long
list
of
three classes, and in each they have_ united men
of all opinions,
and partisans of each\ Minister.
They have, fur example,extraordinarywho have neither
functions nor salaries, which is the most whim-
sical thing in the world. In this list one
sees the most liberal men placed by the
side of the most - violent absolutists ; M.
Royer Collard figures along with MM.
Dtttlon and Franchet. This proceeding has
equally displeased all parties. The partisans of
the Jesuits are offended at being degraded to an
honorary office without functions and without
emolument. The Liberals are mote offended
still at being placed in such bad company. A
bon-mot on this subject is attributed to M. Royer
State, he went tothe publication °llt.ila7y
list of
Scolonuencidallys
:rsaf,it,eir
a visit to M. de Martignae, to whom he said
before all the saloon; " I do not know, Sir, in
what act I have irritated the Ministry,., hat 1
should be picked up in the same tenet along
with M. anion.' This will give you an idea
of the estimation in which one holds a Council-
lor of State for
.extraordinary service.
The nomination of a multitude of councillors
without functions, and without salaries, is a ri-
diculous and absurd act on the part of the Mi-
nistry, but it is"a very Significant one on the part
of Charles X. As he can, by a simple
effort of his will, make a Councillor of State
on extraordinary service, pass into ordinary
service" and vice versa, it will cost him
only a little revision to 'give us a Government
which will suit him, and which public. opinion
will support. ' With the assistance of a simple
manipulation unperceived, he will
.wind up his
instrument to the key of M. Royer Collard or
M. Frauchet. He can make the same use of
his Councillors of State as a flute-player does of
the screw nut, he may heighten or lower his tone
as circumstances' permit him. This was always
the tactic of members of this family.
The Chambers having. met at the end of Ja-
nuary, the Ministeri are occupied in preparing
the draughts of the laws which they propose to
submit to them. The most important is one for
the organization of municipalities. Buonaparte
usurped the power of nominating, or of causing to
be
fli e
tei
cor i
s sn
'This
ion f byu l
the
usurpation
s agents,
poautiroblolnns all
ti
it is
t s havingnl it
ject
epe:municipalproposed
,eatti
to restore to the communes the power which was
taken froin.theM. Neither the;Ministers nor the
Council of State are unanimous as to the prin-
ciples of this organization. The day before
yesterday the King presided at a Council, in
which some point connected with this subject
was discussed. The majority was for the most
liberal course, when Charles X., fearing proba-
bly-that this party would prevail, suddenly broke
up the Council; saying, that he would confer on
the subject with his Ministers. MM. IVlartig-
nae and Portales werein the minority. M. de
Vatismenil, on the contrary, was in the majority.
It is said that the last-named Minister has shown
himself always disposed to go along with public
opinion, anti' that he has already many times
been on the point of
He is still young, and it is natural should
incline to the cause which has the halve for its
ally.
. .

A change in the Ministry was spoken of
terday. M. de Polignac, our Ambassador to
London, was, it was said, to become Minister
for Foreign Affairs, and M. de la Feronnais
President of the Council. As to others, they
were to divide their portefeuilles with Lieute-
nants taken, =cording to custom, from the
right and the left of the Chamber. When-
ever our Ministers foresee a storm, they
bethink themselves of making to the god Nep-
tune a sacrifice of part of their power. The
great difficulty is to distribute their favours with-
out, exciting envy and discontent. However,
that which might be true yesterday is, perhaps,
to-clay.
the Minister of Commerce
ytotstituted, in order to ascertain how
of prohibitory
cnaourrlsoeinldegteioiri
qbsuoei
rit
,ccooultlintueel as xt
oo on
e thepr
ossietbduetcetd
with
i th
activity.
dfatritile'es
As the individuals whom l
he has employed on
this task are for the most
part those who profit
by restrictions and m
opr 1 1 ' •
n ums, it is feared that
the Government will on this question remain far
in the rear I* o public opinion. There are at this
moment with us two great
obstacles
to the en
franchisement .of commerce. The first is to be
found in the great number of members of both
Chambers who derive benefit from the prohibi-
tory laws. The second is the high price of ar-
ticles of subsistence. Bread is at an enormous
price in Paris; it has lately -advan one-third
of its usual price. People do not. ail to ob-
serve, that if foreign merchandise is introduced
into France,'the labouring classes will no longer
have the means of existence.

-root.
eerrrregislytes tilbilveriyair)ustati possess.
encounter-
in oil
iltieensrce..l
There is some talk of lowering tbeomN,l,ldeortilltinlyllaeokniett
sugar, but two classes of men, who in other re-
spects but seldom agree, unite in opposing this
anyare sympathy
cpoaltoh:isatnslaoti:dgstthleisa,graiicituilttuhreistos
Tar nnuiegg'atislrtu frsreiiviii
fitbieleeeattl
Yed°lt)Ph:isti•tim°lla.nufTachteurleat, tearndfi nt(illeya
lian:eallym almost
extended
pretend that in 4 few
greater number of defenders: they have already
years they will succeed in
producing as much sugar as France can consume,provided the duties be continued as at present
fixed. The colonists demand the imposition o
a tax on the
e home-manufactured sugar, but they
wilt not obtain it, although they declare that they
tannot maintain the competition.
The struggle between the civil power and the
priestly Power still continues ; but we are so
weary oi it, and it is so deplorable to see that
certain priest's' have sufficient power to arrest the
prosperity of France, that it is painful to havet o
recur to this melancholy subject. The influence
which a few ambitious intriguing persons can
exercise over 'a great country, by acting on a
weak brain, is a terrible argument against
monarchical systenrie.
The liberal, party in Paris is in. a state of
great embarrassment. Beranger, our national
poet, is under prosecution for having published