Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-10-22

: rue-TlItraTTy KevoTu-
ton they had viewed great, immense, over
whelmng evil. They had shut themselves up at Hart
we'll, and had waited with calmness and assurance, Tor
the arrival OF the hosr when once more they should
reigI! They had remained quite unconvinced Of the
errors OF Louis the Sixieenhof the necessity Tor
voucn, and OF the Advantages which France had gain
ed aud the evils which no longer effected her. They
still saw no evil in France being divided into hostile
provinces, aud the population into rival classes. They
still no evil in the .Nobiesse preserving its dsuc-
tions, hut losing is power They still so reason
why the people should claim or possess reht-indeed
they did not understand what was meant by "the rights
| OF the people"
They sill thought that the roy authority DUG ht not
to be northumberland they still asked wha, harm was
there in France bang Abandoned to arbitrary admus.
traon, partial governments, aud privileged bodies
They still saw reason why this state of things
should have been altered They still protested against
privilege giving away TO equality. and arbita rily pow
er being replaced by the regulations OF the law They
still, mourued over the destruction OF the distinction of
classes anil the aonhation OF provincial as,ocsacy;
they s,ill grieved that industry freed from the
troll OF corporations aud wardens sighed that agricul
rel eyed fro tithes and feudal servces-and
wept when they reelected that property was liberated
from the system OF entails.
have not lbelled the Bourboss in this sketch OF
their preudices principles and the facts Of the last
sixteen years will demonstrate that the portrait by
means highly charged with colourng. The Bourbons
were the sc-same people in 1914 when they LEFT the
shores Of France, aud sought asylum in Great Bi.
tain. They alone in their opinion had been prosecuted
They alone in heir opinion, the Sufferers; and
they alone had the right to complain. Louis XVIII.
the most instructed;-but even Louis Xviii believed
in his conscience that 'the end justified the means.
II there be other evidence OF this sufficient proof
would hc found in the Conduct oi that King with re-
up ct to the question OF the double pOte. No knew
better than Louis XVIII that the trainers OF the Chara
and the accspors OF the Charta and the gver of the
Charta, aud all France and all the world fully under
stood, when that Charter given that every of
a certain age, and paying certain amount OF taxes,
was TO be entitled to one vote and NJ Any lit
tie child of seven years OF age, who could just spell
the Charter would have told you its meaning; but Lou
XVIII. lived and died moral, though no, lgious
Jesuit, 10 spite OF his instruction and attachments.
This, then, was the character Of tina, family which
in 1914 re-coniucted TO the shores Of France, and
aided by Prus,an bayone,s and British bullion,
once more placed on the Throne of ST. Louis.
We arrive now at the question of the Charter--I
mean the first Charter-the Charter given by Louis
XVIII. Letus devote few minutes to it's history.
The Count dArtois (now the ex-Chares was
sent on sort Of John the Baptist commission by his
brother Louis XVIII. 10 France. When he arrived,
some received him wi h open arms. These were he
remnant OF the old Royalists. Others received him
with codncss-these were the friends of the Republic,
or the adorers OF Napoleon. And the great OF the
people received him with ingenuousnes aud sincerity
neither amounting 10 affection nor yet having the char
acter OF disgust. They willing TO hear what he
had to say-to listen TO erms--to avoid civil war-tO
get rid OF foreign troops and army of occupa,ion-o
see if the capves had pofied from their captivity, and
II they had learnt in exile the folly of attempting TO
govern by arbitrary power in this age Of civilization
He came with the olive branch in his hand-oher ell a
general amnesty except regicdes-sad there should
Frenchmen should be equal before the law. This was
not enough. F'ance had learnt and unlearn, whilst
her legitimate! governors were in captivity; and
though they were willing TO return "a the pardoning
and forgving princes, France required security for he
future, though she said nothing of inemnic for
the past. 90 the q of May, 1914, Louis XVIII.
rived within league and half north OF Paris, the
chateau OF 81 Ouen. He would have entered abso :
lutte King, but France would not allow it, The Allied
Sovereiens or their representatives informed him tn
he could he absolute no longer-lhn though the Count
d'Ar,ois had signed the Convention OF Pari yet that
the PArisianS would never consent 10 receive the ban
h ed Prince no H. capital unless he first promised to
give free Constitution 10 France. The evening,
therefore, he issued the Declaration OF ST. 0uen, which
coDsecraed the principles of The Representative gov.
eminent; and when he had done this the Emperor OF
Russia consented to the entry Of the King and the royal
family on the subsequent day If Louis XVIII. had
not made This declaration, he could never have
NAMED one day in the Palace of the Tuilleres; and
when, subsequently on the 2l day of June in fulfil.
ment OF his engagement he gave TO France charter,
he adopted the only means OF securing TO himself the
throne which he claimed, and of saving himself from
the daggers of his disappointed and dissatisfied subjects.
The Duke of Rigusa has been called traitor to this
day for having signed the equalization Of Paris in lSII
and the Parisian have always declared "hat il they
had not been sold by Marmon," they never should
have had replaced the throne of France the eldest
branch OF the house of Bourbon One thing is indeed
certain that il Marmon had held out only twenty four
hours longer, Napoleon would have been at the gates
of Paris with 90 900 men, and Paris would have risen
en- not for the sake OF the Emperor but to avoid
the return oil Louis Xviii When, however, the al
lies in possession Of the capital all resistance
useless. aud the inhabitants of Paris and the
bers OF the Provisional Government consented to make
the best terms possible, and TO be contened with
Charta! There are, indeed, who still maintain
that Louis the Eighteenth need have given a
Charta-thaf he had refused St. Ouen TO make the
required declaration the allies would have submitted
TO his resoluton-woud have defended him in his posi-
ton az King-and thus that the old French monarchy
might have been established. Thee opinions are
however, most erroneous, and altogether opposed
by facts The Emperor OF Russia no Liberal. He
had no desire to France governed by Charter or
liberal institutions prevail. He would have been much
better satisfied to have viewed the re-estabishment Of
he old Monarchy, with all its bgoiry and all its vices
But though Alexander not free from preiudices he
was open to conviction, especially those points here
his own immediate interest did not blind him; and what
did he say Louis the Eighteenth | cannot guaran.
tee either your personal safety, that of your family
unless you publish Declaration tonight st. Ouen
promising TO give Cbsrta to France" When this deca-
ration made, Paris filled with the troops Of the
enemy, and yet the Emperor Alexander understood
and felt the determinations and wishes of the people
Louis XVIII. submitted TO this demand, and on the
night of the ID May when the Emperor Of Russia was
informed that the declaration had been signed and pub
lshed, he sad, "Now, then, they may enter "a
they please" Away, then, with such idle assertions
as that Louis XVIII. might have returned to Franco
and governed her. without giving first Of all free Con-
stitution
The history of the Cbara is very short. The Able
Mon,e'quiou was charged TO prepare il. The "Corps
Legisatif" appeared, and the Chambers of Peers and
Deputies subsequently confirmed it, The King swore
to II. Peers Deputies, public fuDctionses and even
various classes among the people, took oath to main
tain it, and The Charta appeared for while 10 be the
end of the Revolution
But those who really knew the feelings of the re-en
flaFpft a..