Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-07-05
FROM OUR p.aRIS CORRESPONDENT:
PARIS, JUNE IL, 1851.

regretable tendency 10 make common cause III uie
Legislative Assembly with the unprlncipled and
reckless demagogues of the extreme Left one OF the
most honest, has just appeared, and with distin-
guished ability, upon what is' believe, new stage
for him As poet, as writer, as orator in the legis-
la,ive tribune, he has won a position that leaves
him little to envy. Yesterday he made an effort,
quite worthy of himself, as an advocate in the
court house Twas in defence of his son. who, few
weeks since, as editor of an evening Paris paper call
ed the Epenement, brought himself, SO thought the
Attorney General at least, within the penal prov-
sons of law on the press. An Infamous malefactor,
murderer, in one of the departments, had been,
after trial. condemned TO death by decapitation.
His execution was accompanied by shocking cir
cumstances, which produced most painful sensa-
,ion all over France. He was conducted, without
resistance to the guillotine, which had been erect
ed upon the public square, and about which an
immense crowd was assembled. The criminal re-
fused to be executed. He would neither mount the
fatal steps nor allow himself to be carried up.
After several hours struggle, in which the two or
three executioners found il impossible to overcome
his resistance and force him beneath the fatal knife,
they were constrained, from mere exhaustion, to
conduct him back to his prison. Toward evening
of the day the wretch was seized in his prison,
bound hand and foot, so that he was incapable OF
motion, and in that situation was borne again to the
scafold, and the terrible sentence of the law receiv
ed its execution. M. CHARLES HUGO took this
opportunity to write and publish in the Euenement
an article against capital punishment. The article
was well and strongly written; perhaps, as an ar
gumen. upon so important and grave subject,
more strongly and passionately written than would
comport with the rules of rigorous good taste. But
the writer is young, said l. upon first reading the
article, the Of poet, and has done little poe
try himself. Certainly saw nothing in it of
criminal or dangerous nature, that called or the In
tervenon of the judicial officer and the application
Of the laws against the abuse Of the press. The
Republics attorneys thought differently, and pro-
secuted the author as guilty of want of respect
for the laws Of the land. 1t was announced week
since that the trial would commence day before
yesterday, and that VIcToR HUGO had obtained
special permission to appear for his son. The an.
nouncement drew many hundred, perhaps ! might
say thousands, to the palais de justice TO hear the
illusrious orator. At an early hour the whole space
appropriated to spectators fully occupied and
crowds of the lower orders, unable to obtain entrance
stood without to await the result, and express by
their shouts their sympathy with the son and admi-
ration Of the father. Opposition to capital punish
ment is no new thing with Victor Hugo. In ls4s
he seized the opportunity afforded by the discussion
words, his invncible repugnance to taking the life
Of man, and propose the insertion in that document
of an article purely, simply defnitivey abolishing
the pain of death. Yesterday he electrified the
crowded audience which was listening to him by a
magnificent argument, at greater length and in his
grandest style. / have never known him more
eloquent than in some of the passages Of his speech
of yesterday. / could not help, however, feeling
shocked, as by something out Of place, at some two
or three attempts-very successful ones, by the
way-to provoke laughter in this auditory. The
speech is TOO long to attempt to give you to-day
even summary Of the argument He concluded
thus
50 Gentlemen, have DONE My son. you are to-day the
recipient Of high honor. You have been judged worthy
to combat, perhaps to suffer- in the holy Of Truth.
From this day you upon the ve life of age
hats say, upon the struggle for the conquest Of the just
and the true. BE proud You. who only simple sol
dier of the human and democratic idea, you sitting there
upon the bench where Beanger and where Lamennas
Rest mistaken your convictions And be my last word
you thsif you want thought to strengthen you in your
faith in progress, in your confidence in the future, your
religion for humanity, 10 your execraon of the scaod in
horror Of evocable and eparabe penalties think that
you seated upon the bench where sat Lesurques !"
But if M. HUGO won yesterday one of his most
brilliant triumphs orator, he failed advocate.
The verdict against the son was equity, with ex-
VeHudNlg ClTCuHSldUCcS Hc ScIttHCc lIIlIHculdte-
ly followed: 500 fine, six months imprisonment,
and costs. Victor Hugo Immediately left the hall,
leaning on the arm of his son. The moment he ap-
peared at the door, in sight Of the crowd outside,
loud and prolonged cries arose Of Tiue Jictor
Hugo! The poet and his son responded repeat
edly with Tue la Republque! And the people,
with loud huzzas, escorted him to his carriage
AT the last meeting of the Academy of Political
and Moral Sciences of Paris, M. MICHEL CHEvA-
LIER made report, couched in highly compliment
tary terms, both to M. Vattemare and to the United
States, upon the collection of American works
which the last named gentleman, in prosecution of
his system of exchanges, has recently presented to
the Academy.
You have been very lately apprized that M.
HIND, of England had added, by discovery on the
night Of the 10Th ul,imo, another to the group of
planets between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
His rival planet-hunter, GAspARIs, of Naples, has
already gained his position, by the announcement
of get another, belonging to the same family, dis
covered by him on the night of the 25th May.
Many Of your readers will be gratified to learn
that RIcoRD, an American (from Massachusetts,,
beieve) by birth, but for very many years resident
in Paris, where, as savant and medical man at the
head Of one of the hospitals of the capital he has
acquired one Of the first regulations in Europe, has
just received from the Sultan the insignia of the
order of Nchan-Y thar, in token Of his high appre.
citation of Records merit. ....
Prince METTERNIcH, the ex-Austrian Minister,
who has for several years past been residing in
Brussels, Belgium, has just left that city, in COM
pany with his whole family, to resume their resi-
dence in Germanv which thew hastily left in con-