The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-28 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

FRENCH Pit PERS.

CIL OF DEPUTIES, MoNDAY, MARCH

BUDGET.

The Count lictiosoT read, the Report from the
Committee on the Budget respecting the Ways
owl Means, It took up three • hours reading.—
Tile result is, that the estimated charge amounts

t 0 97-1,000,000 francs, and the Revenue to

, UOO >OW francs : the deficiency, therefore, is
221,000,000, which to be provided for by a
Loan. Fir the purpose of raising the Lddn, it is
iii-orsed to alienate 16,000,000 francs of Rentes.

IVith reference to the late Loins, the Report
states; that in the first two, the Contractors netted
161 i pet' tent. profit ; and that in the third, owing
to the great rise in the Funds, their profits were
enormous. At this phrase, we are told in a pa-
renthesis, there
.was agitation in the Assembly.—
Tbe Report, hoWever, proceeds to observe, that
the obligation of borrowing was imposed by the
law of necessity, and thetetore the Government
obtained the best terms they could ; that the ef-
fect of these Loans had been to increase public
credit and confidence, and that in consequence
French capitalists were now prepared to join in
any future Leans. The Report then proceeds to
notice the pecuniary claims on France, and the
continuance of the Amoy of Occupation hi the fol-
lowi•ig terms :

" Fully Persuaded that there can V!, on longer either credit
Of revenue, or perhaps existence, for Prance, except by means
of an alleviation of the burden which overwhelms her, your
Committee were desirous of ascertaining the period of our
financial liberation, which roast be inseparable from our po-
litical liberation.

" They wished above all to be enabled to communicate to you
some positive information respecting the claims of foreigners
upon France, claims which, from their amount, tend to pa-
ralyze all our operations, to destroy credit, and to impress
npon the peace itself a character of hostility.
" Your Committee addressed themselves to the King's Mi-
nisters, in whom we fonnd hearts entirely French, but who
have not been able entirely to satisfy us.
" Front the terms of the Treaty of the 20th November, the
deliverance of our territory from foreip troops can only be
the result of a determination which the Allied Sovereigns
reserved to themselves the option of adopting, after the first
years of occupation.

" !tut Can this result he doubtful ? These Sovereigns will
enable policy by subjecting it to justice. The occupation of
our territory cannot be prolonged fur two years longer, with-
out making France a prey to agitations menacing to Europe.
" France is tranquil, she wishes for peace—she wishes it as
decidedly as she has ever made war. Since the Treaty of the
20th November she has gone through the greatest miseries,
I,itt with the most heroice patience, or rather let us say with
magnanimity.

•' The foreigner who resides in the midst of as is astonished
at not discovering those factions which exist only in the
newspapers of his country, or in the deranged heads of some
notice orators. He sees a power acting with independence;
e King adored as a father, respected as a sage ; Princes who
reflect the image of the Royal virtues; a nation whose noble
character has been purified by adversity, too proud ever to
be subjugated, but become :too wise to disturb the peace of.
the world.

" The Sovereigns must be struck with the fidelity with
which the Treaty of the 40th November has been executed,
under circumstances of rigour so new to France. They Ste
France, such as she is, and we cannot doubt they will
acknowledge, that by her noble attitude in adversity she de-
serves well of Europe and of themselves.
" There remains, Messieurs, a final motive 'for'conviction
upon this point. France has reached that degree of exhaus-
tion that it would be impossible.for her longer to support the
17urdens which hare pressed upon her for the last three years.
It is our duty to declare this to you, because the examination
which we have made during the last three months has fully
convinced us of it. Here, therefore, is the limit of our sacri-
fices, because it is the limit of our means.
" We may therefore reckon upon the retirement of the fo-
reign troops by the end of the present year.

" The settlement of the amount of the claims of foreigners
upon France is under negociation ; but there is reason to
hope that you will be acquainted with the results before the
end of the Session, and that it will put an end to the exag-
gerations which bare a very serious effect upon our credit.—
It is necessary, however, to provide the meams for the current
service, otherwise every thing would be compromised, es-en
hope."

The Report then proceeds to state, with regard to the Loan
that the Committee propose to substitute the phrase, to open
Login, instead of that in the Projet, to receive inscriptions
to the amount of 16,000,000 }tunics. The Committee also

propose, that, in future, the financial year shall commence
from the lat July.
After repeating the necessity for relieving France from her
present burdens, the Report concludes as follows:
" Let us hope that the Allied Sovereigns will, for the sake
of the peace of the world, listen to the wish of the French
nation,which emanating at once from the Palace and the Cot-
ta,ge, including alteonditions and all opinions, proves, by
its energetic unanimity, that whatever may be thought of a
great nation under the clouds of misfortune, it does not lose
the consciousness eith of its dignity or its strength."
'rile discussion on the Budget was appointed to
commence on Monday next.
[lt is tint unworthy of remark, that for the first
time in the French Budget the sums receired by
the Ministry of Police from the Public Journals,
and for licensing Gaming-houses are included in
the amount of the Public Revenue'.]

Further Extracts from these Papers will be
found in our last page.

HU3SEY.—By information received yesterday
in a circular letter Irons a Magistrate in the West
of England, Hussey is traced by a most accurate
description to have been in that part of the coin);
try, and from measures which have been taken,
the public may hourly expect to hear of his being
in custody.

MR. EniTort,—At this festival time, the mind
is naturally led to consider the superstitious .ob•
servances of the Romish Church :—and as its 1.4-
lowers are so strenuously labouring for its re•esta•
blishment :in our Protestant Country, wimay very
seasouithly consider the mo!ive, the origin; anti
the effect of its Pagan rituals.
Had ❑ot your Cdtrespondent, LANFRANC, dis-
appointed us by the too abrupt conclusion of his
must useful labours, 1 should not, Sir, have as-
sumed my pen. Put the voice .of the weak is at
least better than the silence of the strong.
In the following observations, a few of those
ceremonies which Popery blended into the Chris-
tian Religion, will he noticed only as they arose
from the ceremonies of Paganism, and were per-

verted to its purpo,es.
The heathen Saturnalia were not only cele-
brated at the same season as the Feast of the Na-
tivity, but the ItonVanists to this day preserve the
customs of Pagan Home.
Not merely in their 'castings, but in the peculiar
characteristic of entertaining their servants, and
waiting upon tilt m. In France, one of the Ser-
vants at Court is chosen King, and the King-and
his Nobles serve him at table. So likewise in the
German Universities; where a King is elected,
and the other Students wait upon hits. In our
Popish times, the Lord of Misrule was appointed

For the same purpose.
And in their Debaucheries ; which, gross as
they were in Pagan Rome, are at least equally
gross in Rome Papal. Witnes the Carnival!
THE PURIFICATION.—Thi, answers, in time
and in manner, to the Feast of Lights, which was
instituted commemorative of the Rape of Proser-

pine; when the people walked about the city with
candles, as Ceres searched after her daughter.—

They did this also on the calends of February, in

honour of Juno, that she might obtain for them
victory for her son Mars. BEATUS RHENANUS,
and Pope INNOCENT, acknowledge this to be the
origin of their Candlemas.

Martinmas is celebrated by the Romanist: with
drinking and jollity ; as the Romans had their
Vinalia in- honour of Bacchus. Each festival is
at the season of broaching the new wine :—though
I do not say, that The modern Romans pray to

he God of the Bottles at this time, though they

honour hini abundantly. In 1179, Juppa fell a
prey to the Saracens, by reason of its Popish
garrison getting drunk in honour of St. MARTIN.
St. John the Baptist.—The bon-fires and • the
dances used at this festival are derived from hea-
thenism. The former imitate the ancient custom
of purifying the air against the pestilential breath,
&c. of the flying Serpents ;, the latter imitate the
Palilia of ancient Rome, wherein the people
danced and leaped through the Ames. This was
done to obtain a fruitful summer.
ish Wednesday.—ln the earliest times of hea-
tl►enism, ashes were sprinkled on the head in
token of grief : so did Hercules when he beard
of the death of Pratlus, and Priam for the loss
of Hector.

ltog,ation Week answers to those heathen festi-
vals called Robigalia, which were held in the
spring, to obtain-the favour of the Gods on tlia
fields and fruits. lIADRIA:gus .lustu• confesses
the Rogation IVeek to be derived from these, and
though part of his book was condemned, and put
into the Index Expurgatorius, this confession
was permitted to stand, and thereby recognized
for true.

St. Philip and St. James. Mity-day.—On this
day was celebrated the feast of the harlot Flora,
in honour of whom the people carried green
boughs, and danced about the streets, and prac-
tised all rn9nner of debauchery. The May Games
carry with them their.own parallel.

And of the Saints' days in general, it is to be
observed that their institution is derived from Pa-
ganism. Num divided the year into months,
and the months into days • and these were coiled
Festi, or religions clays ; Profesti, or common
days ; and Intercisis, or half-holidays—(6ys, cut
in two).

So the modern Romans have their Saint's-days,
their working-days, and their half-holidays for
some Saints, who are not important enough to
have a day to themselves. In fact, the year
would not be sufficiently long for the Romish
Hagiology, and therefore the Papists are obliged
to quarter their Saintlings upon one anoiher.
I trust, Sir, not more for the sake of reason
than of religion, they will find no Quarter in the
Protestant Empire of Great Britain, and that she
will refuse every and any emancipation to Rome's
piwity, which would bring in its train Rome's
heathenism.

ESTO NIEMOR.

On Wednt 3:lay night the bleaching-grounds be-
longing to Messrs. Kilburn, of Carshalton, were
visited by a gang of thieves (fourth tithe this
year), who carried off linen in a bleached and
unbleached state, of considerable value.