New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-05-11


1854 Az TO the tendency of emigration from the
country 70 cities, where wages are higher, ahd
which has been potent motive with Government
for multiplying public works 10 furnsh iabor AT these
eeIters, and encouraging the opening OF ne" ran
roads to fnrnish lab0rs away from these centers,
the development Of manufactures and the railroad
communications have facilitated rather than origin
ally caused it. Meantime it is certain that the direct
impelhng motive of emigration from country ~ city
ia WITH individuals physical want and suffering.
Tho country furnishes an insufficient support TO its
;nbah;tants. IL is admitted ON all hands that a
country peasant calculates az coOlly as noble of
the Fsubourg ST. German matters of marriage aud
proeepy II he cannot feed or establish two chill
dren. be will have but one, and so on. NJ LIE Play
admits that the excessive division of landed estates
among peasant propretors is an absolute bindrance
10 the most productive kind of agriculture; and
also admits that the law Of divided inheritances
must continue and even augment this subdivision OF
lands and all its attendant evil consequences to pro-
duction and population. The effect Of the present
law Of forced division Of inhertances, added TO the
almost universal and national spirit of the peasant
pr0pretOrs, is such that a man who owns strip OF
ground two rods wide and ten long exhausts the
forces of bis life in liz necessarily imperfect cultiya
ton and in the effort TO buy the adjoining strip, so
that be may leave TO his children as large patrl-
mony as be received from his father. Passing over
the intermediate processes, the final and constant
result with lsmentably large proportion of the
peasant proprietors is that their little ribbons of
land Unnecessarily imperfectly cultivated from want
OF capital are covered with mortgages. Diminished
population must follow diminished production i'll
agricultural districts whose inhabitants are endowed
with something more than Irish prudence.
To attempt anything ike an exhaustive treatment
of this grave question III one letter would be, let
alone the matter Of competence to treat Of it ata an
absurdity. pnrposed solely to point out some OF
its striking points, to draw attention to the
serOus discussion of it which is now going on, and
to observe that the most conservative and, IN pure
politics even reactionary men OF thought are agreed
that society to-day is not in a model state. NJ lie
Play is a Government official and in high place yet
he recognizes cautiously indeed to his phrase the
pressing necessity Of a social reform.
Among other bases ON which the writer in
The Times founded his theory of the decline of
France, was the fact that the standard OF hight in
the French army has been repeatedly reduced with
in the last fifty years. The inference is that the
French are physically a smaller people than they
once were. The explanation is that their best bone
and muscle and provocative forces were wasted by
the fearful destruction OF the NapoleOnic wars. The
same writer also refers in confirmation of his the
DRY, TO the number much greater to-day than for
merry Of cOnscrpts who are rejected from the army
on account Of physical lmperfectiOns.
A Frenchman answers, with good show OF reason
and documentary proof: LIST. ThatdhOugh the pro-
portion of "tall fellows has diminished of late
years. the proportion Of of the desired average
stature has increased. I'd. That the greater number
Of exemptions on account OF physical lmperfect0ns
is explained by the greater srictness of preliminary
examination ordered to the examining surgeons by
the Minister of WARRIOR Government finds its
count in accepting only sound, able-bodled men; the
proof being that considerably less percentage OF
the French army goes into hospital III the course OF
year than Of the English army. Sd. The English
troops are undoubtedly taller than the French; but
mere altitude, rs all ANTAGONISTS know, and ~ per-
haps the Crmean campaigns would show, is not the
equivalent of military excellence 4th. The English
army is small selection on long terms of recruits
from large population, and happily for England
her troops ling to her nslar, protected situation,
being often ON parade and rarely in service, the
Colonels take pride in filling their regiments with
tall men, to whom especially Inducements for enlist
ing are accordingly held out. But the French army,
numbering from $50, 900 to GOO, OO0 represents I'M
partially the average stature only Of the French peo-
pie.
But when al is said III the way of partial defense
and explanation, the serious truth remains that
France is not only not growing IN numbers as al APP
parenty prosperous nation should but that It's pro-
portionae growth is late yearly diminishing; and
that. what until within few years WAS unknown III
it's history, significant foreign Ms well IA internal
emigration is going on. The emlgrants from Al
sata, Germans by race and language, go principally
10 the United States The rest 20 mainly 10 South
America, and some 10 California
| have not left myself room 10 speak OiOne or two
matters that should find place in this letter. But
cannot omit to protest against the cruel levty OF
certain Washington correspondent, whose words
/ find quoted into recent number OF The TRIBUNE
to the effect that President Buchanan Will accede TO
Mr. Minister MasOn's ardent desire to revisit his
native shores, and accept his resignation. If Ma
son does not leave Paris till he asks for recall, he
may be considered as an immortal Minister Plenl-
potentiary. He paid the protOundest attention to
Mr. Buchanan when he passed through Paris last
Summer OH his way home from London and went
so far az to accompany him 10 Havre, which, con-
sidering Mr. Masons shaky state OF health, was the
highest possible Of compliments, or of batteries. He
wants Ia stay, and says So, with all the ndfrete of
his simple Nirginlan planters nature. Wlthal, he
is getting on in his French, they say and fuently
translates "never mind" by jdmaiS esprit, to the
intense fabbergastment of his French domestic.
Mr. and Mrs Colonel WapshOt tell me that he is
about to give another Of his spe-layndid parties 10
which they and young Green are both invited. If
old Monsieur POupard who attended the last one
and enjoyed lis peculartes immensely, should 70 to
this may be able to give you report of it, Mr.
Buchanan would be very cruel to remove our wOr-
thy representative from bis twO-mile neghbOrhOod
to the Court of the Tuieres.
Grand Russian Duke Constantine has got far as
Toulon. where he was sufficiently feted. He makes
avery snowy entry into Paris some time next week
After him comes 50 they say, the King Of Bavaria
not old Lewis the impOtent love of Lola Monies
loved Of Boston oficials-but the present reigning
monarch.
From CONNECTICUT