Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-09-13
From. the philadelphia National Gazette.

An esteemed correspondent mas uirecteu our
attention to some passages OF Sir Walter Scott's
Life of Napoleon Esd yolume) (which must prove
interesting to the American public who take SO
lively an interest in the present revolutionary
movements in France" We shall endeavor to
give them entire on some other day. The frst
1page 100. Carey & LEAFS edition) relates to the
freedom Of the press. Respecting that, Sir Wal
Ter holds language which, when his high tory
politics are considered, may be styled remarka-
6ly LIBERAL He defends in a beautiful! manner
the sacred privilege offree discussion Of affairs Of
state, and answers the objections which have been
made to its exercise. He remarks the entire sup
preston of it under Napoleon, and the great man
illness and talent with which its revival was de-
hated in the Chamber Of Deputies under Louis
withdrawing" he observes, 1.-the abuse
of the liberty Of the press to exist IN the most
fearful latitude land we need not look to France
for example) the advantages derived from it are
90 inestimabe, that, to deprive US Of them. would
be as if an architect shogld shut up the windows
which supply light and air to mansion, because
certain proportion Of cold, and perhaps of rain.
may force their way in at the aperture"
fhe second passage Up. l96; relates to the ques-
ton of the Interior intentions If the malcontents
in 1914, as to the person to be invested with the
supreme executive power in case they should sue
ce ed in ekpelling the restored Louis. Accord
ing to Sir Walter, they preferred the Duke q Or-
lean to Napoleon, That prince received an in
timation of their plan in a billet without sigma
ture, containing only these words-"We will
act without YOU; we will act in spite Of you; we
will act for you." Nous te fsro,ps sans voas;
nous ie fsrons maigre r0us, a94s fe terons pour
rous. The Duke would not engage in this mys-
terious scheme: he put the billet into the hands
Of the King. aud ''acted otherwise with 80 much
prudence, as to destroy all m, hopes which the
revolutionary party founded upon him at that
time"
At all periods since the first overthrow Of Ma
poleon, the Duke Of Orleans has been kept in
view by a large lumber If the leading French po-
liticians, who have uniformly,-as Sir Walter
Scott SAYS Of the party Of 1S14-s reckoned that
hy placing the klnsnan of Louis on the throne.
thew would obtain on one hand king who should
hold his power by and through the revolution, and
on the other, that they would cOnciiate both for.
sien powers and the constitutionalists at home,
~ choosing their sovereign out OF the family
OF Bourbon Our correspondent is struck with
the identity of motives, in 1914, and at the
present epoch. when the anne considerations are
nrged in favour of the choice Of the Liberal party;
and he suggests that the same overtures which. in
1914 under the mild and regular administration
of Louis XVIII. the Duke felt himself bound to
reject, might be accepted without inconsistency
under the circumstances Of crisis, produced by
the attempt Of Charles to crush the charter.
After taking Scots volume into our hands yes
',-dav, we read through his narrative of the re-
tnrn IF y. .poleon from Eliza, and the reinstate-
ment of Louis XVIII. of which the whole is In
.tructive with regard to recent occurrences
There are various other passages worthy OF being
noted. and we shall recur to some OF them. The
historian relates Up. 206) that at the moment OF
desperation. when Napoleon was approaching the
c.p,,tal---when the eagles were flying from stee-
ME TO steeple-Fouche. offered his assistance to
Inc almost defeuceess Louis, but required OF HIM
that he should surrender all the executive author
nv TO the Duke of Orleans; in which case ''he
undertook to put period to BOnaparte's expedI-
tion.n We do not believe that a compliance BY
Louis would have effected the issue at all, but
the proposition shows how far attention was con-
SANITY fixed on the Duke. When Bonaparte Sue
cumbed second time, the Chambers tendeUd the
anne fayorite as his successor, to the victorious
allies. Sir Walter here proceeds to expound and
advocate the cause Of LEGITIMACY, adding howev-
err
at must not be COMPOUNDED with the slayish
doctrine, that it is by divine origin indefeasible
The heir at law in private life may dissipate BY
his folly, or forfeit by his crimes. the patrimo-
nv which the law CONVEYS to him: and the legit-
innate monarch may, most unquestionably, BY de-
parting from the principles Of the constitution
under which he is called to reign. forfeit for him
seif and his bars, if the legislature shall judge
it proper, the crown which the principle Of
legitimacy bestowed upon him as his birth-right."
Having narrated the FINAL restoration Of Louis,
SIR Walter makes general commentary. which
we must be permitted to copy, as particularly
curious in its relation, to the late conduct and
fate of Charles x.
MNe;ther were the predictions concerning the
,t,sil;tr otr the New Royal government less false
than had been the Vaccinations respecting the
nnrnosss If the allies. Numbers proPhesied
sss downs,Ii # the Bourbon dynasty. 1t was
with d,ficulty that tie political sagaEs " would
allow that It Ig last long ts the hs e t 81 lou
IS the XVIII He M wv SLEEP Seio, ed for his
and his successor, generally ~ tor his intea.