The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-10

mixed commissions were Instituted In each de-
partment, consisting of the project, the CON-
mander.in chief Of the district, and the pro.
cureur general These commissioners were en-
powered to examine the cases Of all prisoners
10 set such as appeared innocent at liberty, and
to inhict due punishment on the rest This sort
Of investigation fell far short Of fair trial, but
was thought a favorable change from the mill.
tary tribunals, especially rs it was believed that
the measure was dictated by feelings Of modera-
ton and humanity on the part of the govern
ment. The result has proved that the merciful
motives attributed to the government were not
quite deserved. Some people have been set at
liberty against whom no charge could be
brought; but, though admitted to be innocent,
almost all Of them have been forced to leave
their homes, some having been ordered to leave
France. With regard to the rest all that is
known (for the proceedings Of the commission
are AS secret as, and more summary than, those
of the nquisItion,) is, that some thousands of
them have been condemned to transportation to
Cayenne, Lambessa, and Algeria, and that we
almost every day find accounts in the papers of
huge conveys of those prisoners proceeding to
the different seaports on the way to their Danish.
ment; 279 co,damnes, from the departments of
the Var, Vaucluse, and the Bouches du Rhone
were embarked on board the Scion, at Marseil.
les, on the LIST of March, for Algeria 298 CON.
damnes, from the Heraut and Bases AIpes,
arrived at Algiers on the 4th, in the Labrador,
where they joined another convoy of 1873, who
had preceded Them 496 condamnes arrived at
Havre on the 9th of March, and among these
were ! l persons who had been arrested on the
previous day only, (the 7thO and who were sent
OIL without trial, OF course, but without any
known reason; 260 condamnes, from the neigh.
borhood of Bourges and Nevers, were brought
on the l4th from Orleans to tho fort of Bica-
ire, and there they probably still reman
and on the night of the l7th inst, 800 of these
unfortunates were sent off from the fort of Iyry.
in the outskirts of Paris, for Havre, on their wav
to Cayenne. There are probably MANY more
conveys, but these instances appear in the pa
pers OF the last two days, and show to what an
enormous extent the system is carried.
1t would be hardly credited in England If
were to attempt to describe the horrors TO which
TINS wholesale system of expatriation gives rise.
Many instances are known in which rersons in
respectable stations in life have been arrested
in the streets for no known reason. and have
been carried from prison to prison till their
friends have lost sight of them. Where thew
are now, whether in France, in Algeria. or On
their way to Cayenne, no one can tell. for the
authorities will say nothing All that can Ger.
family be said is, that if alive, they cannot com.
muncate with their friends. Notwithstanding
the severity exercised against the press, a Paris
paper, which has shown rather more spirit under
oppression than its contemporaries, ventures TO-
DAY 10 say -" IL would be important to have
detalls OH these proscripts, to know in precise
manner what are their names, to what depart
ments they belong, what their degree of cuba.
Dillty what procedure has been followed in re.
spect TO them, on what proofs or what testimony
were founded the sentences which DESTROY their
careers, sever them from the objects Of their
alectiohs' ana rum their interests for what
motives some or them have been placed at the
disposition of TIE minister of the marine, to be
transported 10 French Guiana, while others are
Piaced al the disposal of the minister of war,
10 De transported to Algeria But, besides the ban
lshment TO Guiana and Lambessa, which is only
uenIitlVe after the sanction of the government
inc mixed commissions sentence persons accused
10 the MINOR punishments, such rs expulsion
rom lhe French territory, temporary Danish
ment, enforcement in another department. and the
placing under the surveillance of the police
How many parents and friends desire to know
the category in which the objects of their affec.
IONS are ranked, and of whose fate they know
nothing beyond the fact of their being arrest
ed - The Steele then states some of the ru.
thours ooze out at intervals, because they are
men who have held public positions. Tins il
is know that among those sent to CAYENNE ore
M NJ. Mot late representative Poonim, former.
ly in responsible position in the prefecture of
police; Algerion, editor of the TyauaiUeur
Pate, notary at Chagny; Saliva, Colonel oil
national guard of Sottevle; Leclerc de Chan.
COLBERT, advocate at Sens, &c. but it adds that
" the great bulk of the condemned persons is
unknown, and that the obscurity which weighs
upon their fate is a nevor-ceasing anxiety in a
great number of families" The Journal d.
lendre et- Lone gives long list of persons who
nave been simply ordered to leave France.
Many OF them have never been arrested, and do
not know why they are expelled All the in.
formation they receive is passport force sent
to them by the police, with orders to leave the
territory OF France within eight days The list
contains the names of advocates attorneys
solicitors, school masters, editors, physicians
apothecares, farmers. &C., &c.
PARIS, March 90
Lettess received from the departments bring
fresh accounts of the violent proceedings of the
mixed commissions. In the department of
the Gironde (of which Bordeaux is the capital. )
~ persons have been condemned (withou tral) |
to exlle-among whom are nearly one-half of
the members of the council general Of the de- |
partment several magistrates, advocates. and
literary men. In several instances, the projects
have sent for the editors of the newspapers. and
ordered them to publish articles in favor of the
government, under penalty of having their
papers suppressed. The editors are not even
allowed to observe neutrality. Two of the ed
tors of the Gironde are among the exiIes.
although that paper has not written a line of
comment on public affairs since the coup detat
The following is an official account of the
tate OF the prisoners arrested in one single de
that of the Basses, Alpes--
in consequence of the disturbances which sue
ceeded the coup d'etat of the Cd of December.
The total number of prisoners amounted to
l,648. Of these 557 were set at liberty but
out of this number 346 still remain under the
surveillance of the police; 50 are banished from
the department of the Basses-Alpes, and forced
to take up their residence in some distant viii
laQe of France. at the choica IF tho oovo-,r,nnt