The Sun.
London, England, 1818-04-08 00:00:00

PRIVATE AND AUTHENTIC CORRESPONDENCE.

Rut's, APRIL 2.—lt was recollected on drawing
up the Charter what fatal influence had been exer-
cised by Committees in the Constituent .Assembly,
the Convention, &c., and it was wished, to pre-
vent its recurrence, in reserving to the King alone
the initiative of every law. It'was wished to
p'rev:ent the existence of Committees, and as a
preliminary examination and consideration of the
proposed law could not take place before the
General Assembly, the 'preliminarY discussion
was assigned to the Bureaux..
The Chamber itself could not mistake this
manifest intention of the Charter on drawing -up
its b'ye laws, but it appears rather tO have studied
how to avoid it, than to adopt it, trout the in-
convenience it felt of haVing the opinion of each
Bureau expressed at the Tribune by a Connuis-
sioner, tolien from amongst its Members ; it has
authorized the nomination of one or two Mem-
bers from each Bureau, to form a Committee;and
compare, combine, and form out of the indivi-
dual opinions, 'which were nearly analogous, an
opinion which should be delivered at the .Tribune
by a single Reporter, selected from the Members
of such Committee, as the result of the discussions,
not Only in the Committee, but in each. Bureau.
This is the only attribute,, according to the
Charter and the regulations of the Chamber, that
any Committee can have, which is chosen in con-
sequence of the presentation of a law.
How happens it then that these Commissioners
arrogate the right of organizing themselves into
real Committees, and sumovon the Ministers to
treat with them on the principles of equality of
power, and divide the Ministry, which should
present an entire unity of principle and conduct,
in attacking each Minister in particular, to
obtain individual concessions from him which the
'desire of, maintaining his popularity and his credit
may determine each of them to consent to without
consulting his colleagues ; to have an official cor-
respondence—to
oppose the Directors-General
and the Under-Secretaries of State to the Minis-
ters on whom they depend—to reject the clauses
of laws proposed and substitute new ones in their
stead, and ascend the Tribune with a Projet
essentially different from that presented in the
King's name by the Ministry, and announce that
this new Projet is the result' of the discussions of
the Committee, that it has then been carried by a
majority, and in 6ne to declare, when the public
discussion• commences, that it adopts or rejects
such or such an araendment proposed at the
Tribune ?
Hence it is in vain that the.charter has.wished
►to preserve the Government and the Chamber
itself from the influence of Committees—the word
alone is changed, and the influence of Commis-
sions replaces it. These reflections apply to every
species of law proposed ; but in applying them in
luirticnlar to those on Pittance, it is easy to per-
ceive that the Chamber of Deputies, by the me-
chum of its. Commissions, which commence by
I destroying its independence, will finish by usurp-
ing itself the Royal Initiative, and perhaps even
I the Government.

Under the pretext Of the Finances every thing
May be attacked, for nothing is
,done without
money ; and refusing funds to the Ministers, if
they in their turn refuse to adopt such or such a
measure, tvhich it bas pleased the majority of the
Commission of the Budget to prescribe, it is, in
other words, forcing the King to govern accord-
ing to the good pleasure of the Chamber, and,
in fact,
,be absolutely dependent on them :—this
would be in the style of the Commons' Address
to CHARLES IL, wittily paraphrased by Ro-

CHESTER : •
If our Lorel the King would but lay down.
His sovereign dignity and crown,
We'd wake him, for tbetnne to come,
The greatest Prince inthristendum.

CHARLES'S answer,
CHARLES, at this time having no need,
Thanks you as Much as if you did,
would be good policy in' his. Majesty Louis
XVIII., if i.e would preserve the Crown be wears
in all its splendour and purity, and suffer no
profane hands to touch its prerogatives.
It is inure easy to demonstrate the vice and
danger of this order of things than to present a
temedy,thellifficulty is still increasing; from the
.concessions rece►►tly made by the Ministersovbicb
'bas given new strength to ti'e Chamber.
If is looked upon as impossible, i►► matters of
Finance, to return to what is past, but it is riot so
.to pause on the brinl of the precipice, dOtl'H
which one step farther would burl the Govern-
ment.

To attain this desirable end, the Chamber of
Deputies should he brought back to the Charter ;
its usurped tight to make amendments sho.nid
boldly. contested, as well as the clisctss.io‘n by
the means of Commissions. It might, perhaps,
be impolitic- to raise the question on-such a sub-

jc.ct as the law on the Finances, or indeed any
.other important law, for it Woldd infallibly be re-
jected ; but in a law of tnio9r importance the
principle might safely be discussed, and the'point
settled.

t might also be well to 'examine whether the
exercise of this right to amend should not be
fixed by a law, as well as the mode of the discus-
sions, and the 'private communications between the
Bureaux and the MinistrY, taken collectively.
Such a law I conceive to be jeasiblkt and. 'ne-
cessary, but ere it is presented a new distribution
of the Ministerial attributes seems necessary, such,
in fact, as it has already pointed out. The Ministry
will ne7er ha've 'a
'real majority in the Chamber.,
but according as it is strong and united 'in its
views, for what can it expect but divided opinions
amongst its friends when 'itself Is divided in its
vieces and principles,.

The pf:esent Session is, perhap4, too 'far ad-
vanced to attempt Chest measures, and as the vice
is radical in the Chamber, it would, perhaps, be
tii.e wisest plan to (dissolve it as soon as possible,
and to effect this, adopt the Projet of the com-
mission.of the Budget in its -present state, except-
ing as to the alienation of 760,000 francs of
rents-- beltmging to the Sinking Fund, the Loan,
and the bargain concluded with the Bank ; these,
for the honour of the Ministry, ought to be de-
fended in the strongest manner. .

The adoption of the Budget would cloie the
Seslion the new, one would open under the
Auspices or a new organization of the. Ministerial
Powers, and would have to deliberate on the right
of amendments, and thus settle the point.
To return to the Finances, the Minister would
he forced to set .out from the law, the law of the
25th March, 1817, and that ►4OW under discussion,
because the one has been passed, and the other
will have been agreed to.
Now, according to these laws, the Budget, pro-
perly so caned, will consist of three parts :-
Ist, The receipts and expences since the account
last furnished to the Chambers., which will serve
as a basis for fixing the annual impost, and fixing
the expences contained in the last law on the
finances, *and thus present the balance of re-
sources and expellees 'which it had ordered.-
2d, The supposed necessary expences under the
new organization, which will be the object of the
new annual vote of the Chamber.-3d, The Ways
and Means.

These. facts 'formllhe Appendix, or union of
the accounts, whiCh each Minister ltss to furnish,
according to the law, and are the only documents
which the Uhanibers have a right to demand.

By a necessary consequence of this Expose, the
law on the Yinances ought. only to consist of
three or four artielesi one to give an account of
Monies expended, another to regulate the mode
of future Expenditure, and the third Ways and
Mears. If new imposts or modifications of the
present are•requiSite, they only require to be indi-
cated.

There would be po apprehension of such a
Budget being refused, because, every thing being
clearly and simply explained, and the object of
the public weal being apparent in every part of k,
it would be sure to gain applause; awl as France is
not yet so well informed as she ought to be on the
benefit of the representative system, the balance
of powers, and the necessity of unity of concep-
tion and execution in every department of the
Government, it the Council of State were to
discuss these questions in the interval of the Ses-
sions, and publish the result, it would enlighten
the public mind, and prepare the matter fur the
Deputies, who would thus he preriously well ac-
quainted with the subjects.

Such are a few of the regulations which appear
to me necessary in the Legislative Government of
France ; for the present system is decidedly bad,
and can only lead to unfortunate results.
There has just appeared a most remarkable
pamphlet, that is to say, I have got it ; but it is
very doubtful whether the Police will not clap its
iron fangs. upon it. It describes in so Strung and
lively a roanner.the different Parties that divide
France, that I feel certain it will amuse your
Readers ; l•will-translate it, and send the first
part by the next post.

THE TaEATRa.•--The happy- event which took
place yesterday evening,-naturally attracted atten-
tion at the Theatre; and at that of Covent Gar-
den where • Rob Roy Was performed .before a
crowded audience, " God save the King" was
sang amidst universal acclamationc, and the fol-
lowing stanza added on Abe occasicnt of the Royal
Nuptials :--
Dautzhte.r of Brvinswieles
Bending- at Hymen's shrine,
Hear Britain's prner : • •
• ' May He whose sow'reiv,u sway
The circling orbs obey,
'l•ith bloqsings crown the day.
• • • Hail!' Royal Pair !

ConN-F?ccuANGE., APRIL had no fresh Arrivals
this- morning, but plenty left over from last day for the de-
-111:1):i Wheat and Oats sold at• Monday's prices, hut
ordinary was dull ; Fine Barley supports its price; in Pease
and Beans there is no alteration.