The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-02-07
Our Paris Correspondence.

Our Paris Correspondence
PARIS, Jan. ii, 1919.
Affairs IN Fance-Ministeriai Crisis The Cause
Of n-Synpfoms of Reviusmg Flsh,o~- Thea
tres, $c-Dissoluti9n Of the Assembly, &c.
In my last letter reDortsd 70 YOU ~. .co:ior ca O.
Prince LOUIS Napoleon as first President OF the
French Republic, and his immediate nomination
of ministry supposed TO represent the opinions OF
the vast majority by which he was returned.
This Jew government was scarcely formed, when
it was danger of falling to pieces; within three
or ioui days, the Minister of the Interior and the
Minister OF Commerce deserted 1t. Various ex-
plantations OF this schism were given. What ap.
peared certain was, that serious dissent took
place between M. Leon de Malville, Minister Of
The Interior, and the President. The President
addressed a letter to the minister, which caused
the immediate resignation OF the latter The mi
mister took the letter to meeting OF his colleagues.
which was held at the palace Of the Minister of
Justice, IN the Place VendOme, where he submitted
it TO them. They resolved, collectively, to resign,
and NJ Odilon Barrot proceeded to the Elysee
Bourbon with a resignation In his pocket. Prince
LOUIS became alarmed, felt that he had committed
grave lndscreiiOn, expressed his regret at what
had happened, and made gcntlemanly apology.
Upon this, M. o. BarrOt convoked the ministry
at the palace OF the Pre- sdent, where the expla-
nations were repeated, and the ministers withdrew
their resignation, and decided on remaining In
office.
Later in the day, however, M. Leon de Male
vile changed his mad, and resolved deiinitlvey
to resign, which he did, and was accompanied IN
this resolution by M. BlXlO, Minister of Commerce.
Another meeting of the cabinet took place in the
evening" at which M. Leon Faucher, Minister of
Public Works, was transferred to the Interior; M.
! Lacrosse, Vlce-Presldent OF the Assembly, was
| appointed Minister OF Public Works; and M. Buff
| let, promising young member of the Assembly,
| was appointed Minister OF Commerce.
| These were the facts connected with the minis
terial crisis, which so lnauspclously slgnallzed
| the debut OF the President.
| real cause of M. de Malevllle's resignation. 1t
was sand that Prince Louis had required M: De
| Maleville to counterslgn the nomination OF M de
Emile de Nieuweikerze to the post of Directeur
des Beaux Arts, place occupied, since the revo-
luton of February, by nj. Charles Blanc, the bro
Their of the well known LOUIS Blanc. With this
| demand, M. de Malevllle refused to comply.
| M. de Nleuwerkerze is person OF distinguished
family and tavoraby known amateur in
sculpture. He is well known In the fashionable
circles in Paris, where he has been distinguished
by the favor and patronage OF the Princess Mathide
Demidoff the daughter of the ex KING Jerome, the
| Governor OF the lnvaides, and consequently the
| first cousin of the President 1t was understood
that the proposed appointment was the consequence
of the recommendation OF this lady.
Supposing this sta tement to be true, nj. de Male
vile has been censured, even by his friends, Tor an
over degree OF scrupulousness In this dlsinc!ina-
ton to comply with the desire OF the President
qualifications of M. de NleuweIkerZe which
would have rendered the appointment unit, and
beyond these qualifications, the Minister OF the
Inferior had no right to look.
1t was also said that Prince Louis had demand
ed of M de Maleville to deliver 10 hum certain do
cumenls preserved In the archives of the Minister
OF the Interior, relative to the affairs OF Strdsbourg
and BOulogne, in which Prince Louis had figured.
Amongst these documents were alleged to be let
tiers addressed by Prince Louis to King Louis
Philippe, and also letters addressed to the Minis
ter OF the Interior and the Project of Police, from
agents employed by the government as spies
around the person of the Prince, not only to watch
and report his movements, but to prompt and sti-
mulale him. Some of theee letters, 1t was said,
himself. as well as M. THEIRS, were directly imp-
Gated IN the employment of these agents.
1t was further stated that, on the other hand, M.
de Malevllle had proposed list OF nominations to
the Pretectures OF Departments tor signature by
the President, which nominations the President
considered to be OF too reactionary character
and declined to sign.
We give these several reports as they circulated,
without pretending to guaranty their accuracy.
1t was not long before some further details
of this curious affair oOzed out. A copy OF the
letter addressed by Prince Louis to M. de Male
vile, was, by some means or other, obtained by
the editor of small provincial paper published at
Nantes, called L'HeTmine. 1t was published In
that journal, and copied Immediately lato all the
journals of Paris and other parts OF France.
Nothing could exceed the excitement which
followed the publication of this document. AT
fret its authenticity was doubted. But those who
had been rendered cognizant OF It,, were speedily
forced to admit that it was technically correct.
Ii appeared that 1t was written and despatched
at late hour on the night of Wednesday the 9th
December, and 1t was said that the writer, at the
moment, was under the excitatlon OF wine: 1t
was commended that the style and language OF the
letter ITSELF IN some degree, indicated this
That it was hastily written, and without the
dellberation and counsel which usually pre-
cede the dispatch of letters ESQ important, is
10, tbo afto tho,,0 in tha -
will be observed, also, that the writer, demanding
the delivery OF certain documents on Thursday,
appears to be ignorant or forgetful OF the day on
which he was writing 1t we write on Wednes-
day night, ordering something to be done on the
| next morning, the phrase used would be different
Be this as 1t may, the ministry vigorously dis
charged their duty. 1t appeared from what trans
PRED afterwards, that on the very evening on
which Prince Louis was proclaimed President,
the first act of M. de Maevllle, on entering. the
Ministry OF the Interior, was TO place the seals OF
State on sixteen boxes, containing the decu-
ments relative to the affairs OF Boulogne and
Strasbourg, and to place them securely under lock
and Key Sucha precaution Indicated, on the part
OF the Minister, conviction OF the possibility not
only that direct and open efforts might be made on
| behalf of the President to Withdraw these docu-
men,s from the archives OF the interior, but that
| even furtlve means might be resoited to.
On the retirement OF M. de Malevle, the same
precauion was observed by hls successor, M.
| Leon Faucher who as well as M de Maevllle,
assured the Assembly that the documents had
been, and would be, carefully preserved
Thus the Prince President had scarcely entered
upon the exercise OF his functions before dlscor
dance manifested itself, arising from the underlined
powers and responsibilities OF the chief OF the exc
cuiive and the minister's The ministers, In enter
ing upon The exercise OF their duties, saw, or do.
sired to see, in the President, constitutional
monarch They wished to realize IN him the ce-
LIBERATED maxim of M. Thiers-that the sovereign
rejpns. but does not govern. They desired to real
ze the favorte object of the latter statesman, by
establishing In France government and admins
irative regime similar to that OF Englans and thus
to reform what was always considered one of
the greatest abuses OF Louis Phllippes govern
ment. This monarch, like his pre- decessors, de-
lighted to assume the active part in the affairs of
State. He sat, himself, In pers n, at the cabinet
| councils and exercised direct and important in
| fuence IN their deliberations Most of the minis.
tiers, since the revolution Of July, submitted to
this as a matter of course, recognizing in 1t the
political manners of France, and the established