The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-03-27
France.

From France the intelligence is meagre. Re-
specting the late elections the Paris correspond
ent of the London Times holds the following
language, writing on the evening of March lth ::
In several instances the government has been
obliged to accept, and adopt as it's own, candi.
dates whom it would have gladly excluded, had
1t dared, from the electoral contest and the
opposition that is now in state of torpor may
soon become endowed with life and movement.
But even the elections have turned out, we
may be convinced of the fact by an examination
of some of the details Of the scrutin. 1t APP
pears that the element of hostility, or of oppo-
sitiOn, has been found to exist far more in the
towns than in the country; among the middle
classes, the boWgeoise of the cities, than among
the inhabitants of the rural districts.
1t is not alone by recording their votes that
the opposition of the former manifested itself
but by absence from the ballot. In Paris, Nj
Eugene Sue obtained more than 1000 suffrages
in an electoral district chiefly inhabited by the
operatives, and General Cavaignac $4,000 from
the trading classes The spirit of the conserva-
tive and constitutional opposition is shown in
the large, though insufficient, numbers who
voted for M. Goudchaux and NJ Bxio At
Strasburg the government nominee scarcely oh
tained 1000 Of the $4,000 electors in that city ;
in Bordeaux 90 900 electors absented themselves,
either from indifference or direct opposition |;
and so close was the contest at Arras, Rennes,
Nantes, and Lille, that the electoral struggle will
have TO be gone over again.
All this, showing the existence of an opposi-
ton, might diminish the triumph Of the minis
teral organs; and should other arbitrary meas.
ures, in addition to the powers reserved for itself
in the constitution octropee by the Executive, be
resorled to, there is little doubt that it will be-
come still more formidable
FATAL AFFRAY.-Amos r. Harold, of Nan
semond county, and Alexander Gillian, of Rich
mond, got into difficulty in the bar room of
the City Hotel, in that city, on Sunday morning
last, at 10 o'clock, about bet Of several hun
drcd dollars, which resulted in personal encoun.
ter and the stabbing of Giliim in thee differ
ent Places from the effects of which he died
about O'Clock the same evening" first acqut
ting Harold of any blame in the matter. Har-
rold was arrested and committed ia. The
Times says" lie made no effort to avoid the
full responsibility of the act; but the evidence
went far to show that he had committed the
deed in s4lfdefence The parties had met as
friends, and continued az such up to the period
when the misunderstanding occurred They
had been ndulging rather freely in wine, and to
this cause may be justly attributed the whole
difficulty" q
The CUNARp STEAMsHIPs.-lt s said the Gu
narders have sold the new steamer Persia
Some defect was found in both the Arabia and
the Persia at least it is reported that they
would not beat the Arctic or the Pacific, and
that it was better to work On with the present
craft. 1t is also said that they intend to build
two larre iron steamers for tho seryice--t Tho y