The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-30
Foreign Correspondence OF, the Republic


FOR seVerai years, IN fact almost from the ad-
vent of the republic, the department of the
Rhone, (Lyons,) and those Of the contiguous
departments that compose the sixth military
division of France, have been in a state of
siege. Martial law has been found better suit
ed to the temper of the inhabitants than the
milder system of the civil code. or course,
people have been hoping for some time past
that this state of things might cease, and that this
exceptional regime might speedily come TO
end So far from this being the case, military law
is spreading, and yesterday another department
was added to the list of beleagured territories.
This is the Arde5he, upon the Rhone. some dis
lance to the south of Lyons. / extract from M.
Leon Faucher's report to the President such por
tons as give the reasons for this rigorous mea-
sure
"Seyeral points of this department, and espe-
cially the ward Of Largentiere, have been the the
atre of seditious demonstrations Secret societies,
spite of the vigilance OF the administration are ra-
pidly developing themselves Powder and arms
manufactured and candestinely distributed.
The nature of the soil, cut up by ravines and rapid
water courses, renders il the OF those offend
ers who have fled from the adjoining departments
already In state OF siege, and their disposition 10
disturb public order increases with the certainty Of
impunity.
''The purpose Of thus agitatng this department
is evidently to excite it to revolt. This state of
things seems TO result from system of continued
intimidation and instruction organized in the
Ardeche. Against such elements OF anarchy the
ordinary means OF suppression are no longer sutil-
cient. The period has arrived when | must de-
mand the exercise OF the exceptional means au-
thorized by the Tooth article of the constitution
and the law of the 9th of August, l549.
81 have hesitated long, sir, before proposing this
measure; ! was unwilling TO acknowledge that III
still another department, by the weakness of the
good citizens and the temerlty of the bad, such
regime became necessary But the energy of the
defence must equal the audacity Of the aggression
The project of the Ardeche socits formally de-
cree which may place the department under the
empire of state of siege. believe, with this
gistrate, and with the majority of the counsel of
the locality, that the Of peril provided for by
the first article of the law of the 9th of August pre-
sents itself day"
decree to this effect has therefore been signed
by the President, and published yesterday in
the Moniteur The Commission of Permanence,
the Chambers substitute in its absence, is TO hold
supplementary session to-day to receive official
communication of this decision
The corner. stone Of the new grain markets will
be laid to-day by the President in person. The
stone, followed for the purpose will contain box
in which will be placed the usual medals and
coins, together with plate engraved with an ap-
propriate inscription The stone will be blessed
by deputation from the clergy; the ceremony of
depositing the box will then be performed; after
which the Project of the Seine will make an adj
dress, to which the President will reply 1t ia not
probable that his speech will be important, politi
cally. lift should be, you will receive it by ex-
press telegraph, it will be too late to send by
ordinary course Of mail.
The statesmen and women of the old markets
have held several meetings to discuss the propriety
of offering to the President not merely banquet,
which is matter of course on all such occasions,
but something more pretentious, such a sword
or piece of plate. Nothing was decided upon at
late hour last night.
The court Of asszes of one of the southern de-
partments has just made terrible example Of a
female incendiary. She had insured her house for
a sum considerably above its value, managed to let
it to family against whom she entertained a NOR
tai hatred and then set il on fire in the night.
The court condemned her to death, and sentenced
an accomplish, who seemed only to act under her
instructions, to the huks for life. This example
comes in good time, for arson is a crime of quite
frequent occurrence in the south of France, whole
districts being sometimes kept in state of con-
tnual alarm by the perseverance, Of the incenda-
ries, and their address in making good their es-
cape.
From Constantinope we learn that the Missis
sippi, the American national vessel destined to
transport Kossuth TO the United States, arrived in
the harbor of that city on the 30th of August. We
have also late from Madrid. The intelli
gence of the execution of the fifty liberados at Ha
vana had reached there, and was known at Bar
celona and the other principal cities Of Spain. 1t
is hardly necessary to say that the Spanish jour
nails of every complexion approved the high
handed measure of the Cuban Captain General
No political mbroglio seemed to be anticipated;
nor do the newspapers refer TO the possibility
al -
at Barcelona. 1t is said, also, that the diplo
matte corps residing at the capital recognised the
justice of the execution, painful as it was The
French press is quite unanimous in branding the
lberados with the epthet of brigands and pirates.
The republican journals, however, consider the
annexation of the Queen of the Antilles as only so
much the more certain.
From authentic tables of the votes of the councils
general upon the subject of revision, take the fol-
lowing details. suboin also the totals of the
voters in France during the reign OF universal suf
frage, of the votes thrown for Louis Napoleon, and
of the signatures appended to the petitions lately
circulated in behalf of revision. From all these
figures it will be seen how small proportion of
those interested in politics. and the government Of
the country, have given their support to this move
ment. In 1913, before the passage of the law of
the 3lst of May, 9,936006 persons were registered
as possessing the right to vote. This is also the
number of those entitled to petition in 1851, for
the law that mutilated the suffrage did not in any
way interfere with the right of petition. In De-
cember, 1913, Louis Napoleon received 5,350227
votes-more than half of the whole number Of those
that might have been thrown, and fully two thirds
of those that were. In 1851, after severe cam
pagn the part of those interested, 1923 625 sig
natures obtained to o petition praying for
such revision of the constitution might lead to
reelection Of the President. just fifth of those
that elected Louis Napoleon desire, or express the
desire upon paper, that he have second term of
office; just ninth ofthose that have the right to
petition, that right. The eighty-six depart
mental councils consist of 1927 councillors. OF
these, ,749 have voted for revision, 673 against;
while 405 have absained from interfering in a
matter not within the sphere of their jurisdiction.
Finally, in the Chamber, the advocates of revision
fell short of obtaining two-thrds vote upon this
important subject, while the constitution requires
a majority of three-quarters. Such is resume of
the public feeling in this matter. The official ia
bes of the votes of the co general having iust