The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-16


ence to the laws alike of the United States and of
this Commonwealth.
In order that may be sure that my answer may
reach it's destination (your letter having but acct
dentally come to my hands,) have requested Mr.
White to put it in the hands of Mr. John Cadwala-
der, whose signature, observe, is first.
am, with great respect, your obedient servant,
VIM F. JOHNSTON.
Foreign Correspondence OF the Republic.
Paris, September !, 1851.
Perhaps the most important feature in the
political atmosphere at present is the adhesion
volunteered by the counclls-general of the vari-
Gus departments to the petitions having for
their object the revision of the constitution. AS
far as unanimity goes, their influence is dec-
dedly favorable to the Presidents hopes of re-
election; for, out of about thirty that have thus
far taken the question into consideration, TWEEN
ty- nine have voted in favor of revision-the
thirtieth refusing to entertain the subject. But,
in another point of view, the opinion that may
be emitted by these provincial councils ought
to have no weight at all in matter concerning
the central government and the country at large.
The members Of these councils chosen in
lS4S-when no one foresaw what would be the
state of things in 1851. They chosen, too, to
attend to the affairs ofther respective depart
mens to fix the taxes for the year, to lay out roads,
to keep the public lands in order, to act umpire
in disputes between any two communes in the cir
Gle Of their jurisdiction. l can remember no in
stance when these distant municipal bodies have
been before permitted to concern themselves about
the general policy of the authorities at the capital
The selectmen of Carpentras have undoubtedly the
right of petition, we'll their constituents-not
as selectmen, however, but citizens only. Not
only are these men meddling with what does not
concern them, but they are pretending, with their
fifteen twenty members to speak for the thousands
of individuals in the circuit of the department. Thus
the department of Ie-et Vilaine has $4,000 voters
registered upon the electoral lists; ,002 only of
these petitioned for revision But the council
meets in its annual session, considers the subject,
and, desiring to obey the evident wishes of NJ Leon
Faucher and the other powers that be- casts pref
ty unanimous vote in favor Of revision; or in other
words, re-e!ection--a vote, perhaps, of eleven to
five. This result is paraded in the columns of the
Bonapartst journals another evidence of the
mistakable will of the people. The people, how
ever, of this same department were 30 unmistak-
ably opposed to revision and reelection, that the
proportion Of non petitioners and petitioners are
one hundred and fifty to one. This fact, however,
the Bonapartist sheets do not care to notice; they
general-eleven to five. This is the long and
short of the affair of these provincial councils. They
have no right to discuss the question at all, and
even if they do, the vote of twenty councillors who
say eyes" is not to be allowed to prevail that
of 900 sovereigns who say ''no." If the coun-
Gil had been elected for this purpose then of course
its decision, however much it might be opposed to
the wishes of the electors, would still be binding
upon them; but it is just because these men de-
sorting their constitutional attributes that their
opinion, one way or the other, is not legally and
constutionally matter of the smallest concern.
The administration of the lottery of the golden
ingots have just closed their doors, having, as
they say, sold the last of their seven million tick
cts. This lottery is approved of by the government
the Minister of the Interior being at the head of
the presiding commission. The tickets are franc
piece, and, after all expenses paid and the
value of the prizes is deducted, there will proba-
bly, remain betwoon four and I'VE million francs
With this money five thousand laborers will be
sent to California. The principal republican news
paper, the National, has just published severe
article against this intention on the part of the
government. II says that the plan is to send them
gratis to the Edorado, to furnish them the
instruments necessary to a miner, to provide them
with provisions for fortnight, and then leave them
to their own resources 20, 900 miles from home in
barbarous country, ignorant even of the language
that is spoken there. II mplores the government
to alter it's determination this point, and if the
four millions of francs must be spent in transport
ing industrious Frenchmen beyond the SEAS they
may be sent to Corsica or Algeria, where they may
be under the protection of the tri.coor, and where
their native tongue is the language of the country
This advice from the National is rather late. The
privilege Of conveying the five thousand emigrants
to California ceded some months ago to the
Mcssrs. Marion and Co., of Havre, and that this
firm is actively engaged in making it's prepare
tons, know, from the fact that have seen letters
from them to the United States consul here, ask
ing information on the laws of the United States in
regard to the space to be allowed each passenger
in ships entering American ports They are to
have seven hundred and ninety five francs for each
passenger thus conveyed This lottery being
undertaken in benevolent motive, the ticket
holders are the last persons whose interests
consulted. There are but two hundred and twenty
four prizes for million of tickets; the largest
is $4,000, and the Others diminishing gradually
down 10 hundred. Some one has said that the
chance Of the holder Of a single ticket to draw
prize is Just about the chance he has Of being struck
by lightning Rothschild has taken over 10000
chances. The drawing takes place on the Let of
October.