The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-07-25 00:00:00

FRANCE

M. Armand Marrast has been elected president of the
National Assembly, in the room of :SI. Marie, appointed
Minister of Justice.
The purchase of the Lyons Railway by the Govern-
ment is completed, the price paid is 150 francs, in fives,
per share.
The Finance Committee has rejected the proposition
for imposing a tax on mortgages. It is said that the
Committee will recommend the imposition of, an income-
tax, nearly upon the plan adopted in England.
The wounded in the hospitals on the 18t•h amounted to
884. Eight died on that day.
M. Domes, one of the editors of the National, and a
member of the National Assembly, died on Thursday of
the wound he received in combating the insurgents on
the 25th June. His wound was doing well for some time,
but ultimately fever set in and carried him off.
An insurrection amongst the women employed in the
washing establishments in Neuilly took place on Tuesday.
The pretext was that their employers endeavoured to
compel them to work twelve hours a day in place of eleven.
It required the presence of a considerable military force
to restore order amongst them. A few of the most vio-
lent having been arrested, the remainder fled in various
directions.

Whatever the fate of the claims upon the ex-King may
be, the portion of his property that has reached the hands
of the Government is being realised. On Thursday last,
the 13th of July, the anniversary of the Duke of Orleans'
death, all the wine in wood that in that quarter escaped
the devastators of the 24th of February was sold at Neuilly.
Strange to say, it brought better prices than did the
wines found in the royal cellars of Paris lately sold at the
Palais Royal. On Wednesday the sale of horses, car-
riages, harness, &c., of the Duchess of Orleans and the
Count de Paris, on account of the Government, com-
menced. Generally speaking, the horses (48 in number)
sold well. A good deal of competition arose for the pony
of the Count de Paris, which was knocked down for about
25 guineas to an American gentleman. On Thursday the
carriages were sold, and, like the horses, went off at fair
prices. A good deal of sympathy was elicited by the sale
of certain articles, among others a child's caleche, with a
hood, and an infant's chariot, to be drawn by the hand.
Just as the auctioneer was setting up the four-wheeled
cabriolet from which the Duke of Orleans was thrown
when he was kiiled on the road to Neuilly, a letter of the
Duchess was handed to him protesting against the sale of
that carriage, and ordering it to be re-purchased for her
account, at any price, should it have been already sold,
and then burnt. A splendid berline and two fine English
horses of the stables of the ex-prince, Sterne and Slap,
were likewise withdrawn from the sale by order of the
Duchess, to be offered, in her name, to the person who
lent her carriage to quit Paris and France on the 24th of
February.
The Paris papers of Sunday contain a report of a speech
delivered on the previous day, in one of the committees
of the French National Assembly, by the poet-statesman
Lamartine, in defence of the peace policy of the republic
during his brief administration of foreign affairs. It is a
noble and an eloquent vindication of the policy of a states-
man, who will occupy a proud place in the history of his
country, notwithstanding the error of which he was
guilty in associating himself with the persons, or his
name with the opinions, of such charlatans as Louis
Blanc and M. Blanqui. M. Lamartine proved that peace
saved the republic, which might have been overwhelmed
in February if England, Prussia, and Russia had leagued
against it. He paid a high and a just compliment to
England for the promptitude with which she had acknow-
ledged the triumph of the revolution ; and he attributed
all the calamities that had befallen France to the war
policy of Napoleon, which had arrayed all the powers of
Europe against the Emperor and the French empire.
Perhaps the best defence of the policy of M. Lamartine
is found in its adoption, so far as regards foreign states,
by the present French Dictator-General Cavaignac. But
no good man really needs an apology for proclaiming to
the world the sublimely-Christian principle of peace—the
burden of the angels' song at the birth of the Messiah.
Blessed are the peace-proclaimers, for they are the peace-
makers of nations.

THE SOMNAMBULES OF PARlS.—Somnambules are
consulted upon the consequences of every fresh event
which happens, and the doors of the principal mesmerisers
are besieged with eager consultants, anxious to be in-
formed where they can remain with safety in the capital.
It is a curious fact that the most celebrated somnambules
are unanimous in fixing the advent of Henri Cinq at
the end of September, and in prognosticating the most
fearful events to happen ere then. The most sensible
portion of the community of course attach no importance
whatever to these forbodings, as they have already been
found fallible in the celebrated prophecy of Alexis, with
regard to the planting of the snow-white standard of the
Bourbons on the gate of St. Denis on the 15th of April ;
but there are others to whom these prophetic denuncia-
tions cause the utmost discouragement and terror. Alex-
andre Dumas has been again conspicuous in his consult-
ations with Alexis, and has confided the result to his
friends with some degree of exultation, It appears that,
last week, while in a state of peculiar lucidity, Alexis fore-
told the coming of Henri Cinq on the 23d of September,
which date was received with the most profound indiffer-
ence by the novelist, until it was further announced to be
that of another event of more importance, the death of
Madame Dumas, who has been living at. Florence for
some years. This startling prophecy of course was pur-
sued with the greatest interest, and the somnambule was
questioned until he was fain to avow that the fickle heart
of the mighty Alexandre would not remain more faithful
to the memory of the once adored Ida than it had done
during her life ; and that, before the year had expired,
another Madame Dumas would preside over the disorgan-
ised household of the widower. The successor of Ida was
forthwith described. She was a person of great beauty ;
at the moment, a perfect stranger to her future husband ;
a poor motherless girl, a daughter of the people, working
for her daily bread ; the child of a journeyman carpenter,
living at No. 18, in the Rue de•Ciery. The moment that
the seance was over, Alexandre immediately jumped
into a hired cab, and made the best of his way, to the
Rue de ClC.ry. Here ho found, at the number indicated,
the carpenter hard at work, but elope. Imagine the
man's astonishment upon being questioned in an eager,
excited manner, upon the subject of deaghter, by A