Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-05-08
Co.a,,,or a.a pro-p.e,-ofrranse.

tion a.d it, setting. Assyra, Greece Carthage.
Rome aud the rest have passed away; SPANS boast
OF an empire which the sun never set has heen
transferred 10 England. the ruins of whose metrupo-
liz popular writer has already figured Few Zea.
lander as contemplating. Why, indeed, should the
great nations oftbe present time yield the supremacy
10 Younger rivals England aud France are Old ia
comparison with the other great Powers OF the world.
Eten Austria Il 10 longer the German Empire and
a. for Russia, Prussia aud the United States they
are hut upstairs OF yesterday. We cannot wonder
that all the historians aud philosophers, all the the
orizers about the progress Of civilization aud the
march of empire, should abound in predictions Of the
decline which TO be the inevitable fate of the leading
ualions OF Europe. There was, some years ago
GOD deal Of this tremulous forcbodng in England:
tbs eoaniy had seen lis daY b. reached the aNogee
II prosperity, aud But, happily, the spirit Of
u4I pc p" hts rejected all such dseoutaging susp-
,.B4#= 4pcy fee That nation which is every day in
crets.1s Eco numbers IN wealth, and also we may say
wtthaat presamption, in morality and happiness.
whirl b. adiuR colony 10 colony and conquest 10
oounesi ctunai be in Danger of decline and that to
l9ak forward Ia an hour Of collapse an epoch OF
degradation i m absurd rs was the conduct OF the
LapHf4in philosophers, who made themselves miser-
ae about the approach Of the earth 10 the alter
long period Of revolutions But il we feel ourselves
Young and vigorous, if are just establishing our
Colonial system and taking possession of our Asaiic
empire, If we are building Houses OF Parliament
aad inslitutng national collections in the fine arts
IL not t0e same with our nearest neighbor France
is very powerful, much richer than she was; she has
capital which is the resort of the world, aud n
court which yields in nagnhccnce TO none But of
late years and especially since the establishment of
the Empire there has been strange dejectiona among
the educated glasses and all those who think or pro-
Tess TO think political subjects. Railways gold
coinage increase Of trade, and increase of revenue
have failed TO restore cheernness 10 lMge class of
frenehmen. Amid the feast Of prosperity they have
always seemed to a sword suspended over the
country. While all Europe has been sounding the
praises OF France, France itself has been unsatsded
The DE- Profundis of the old political world and the
old literary world has mingled with the r. Dea1a OF
the lmperih reainers. All this to he expected.
In France the liberty which has batiled for during
sixty Years is enthusiastically for long time per-
haps forever Can we wonder, then than the emf
nent men who gained famine and position amid the
contests OF free political life should in their old age
look with anger on the destruction of all they had
founded, and anticipate only decay for the country
which has betrayed Itself and thcm2
The prevalent feeling which has resulted from
these augurcs of Ill has been decpcned by the publ
cation of the last census. The increase of populn-
ton during the five years ending s5G only 256
600 souls, while the censHs of 80 gave increase
Of l,l70,o0o. NV, ~ the frenchman Is not IN en-
Rrent, rnrcly quitting his country 10 cultivate the
wilderness of the New World or the Antipodcs tbs
almost imrcreeplblc increase of population is Ger
tuinly a diEcoumgug sign. Not more than 10000
French cmiRnte yearly il follows, therefore, TINT the
stationary character that population seems now to
nave assumed must result from some deficiency
proAic power, the consequence Of deterioration of
race, or material obstacles which society should re-
move. There does indeed, seem To have been lately
rapid dimnuton in the rate of iucreasc, until in
the present day the increase has almost vanished
Bat for more than half century the French have not
been prolific people. In 100 the population num-
bcrei 90 500 GOO that Is 1t almost equal to the
population OF the Brush Islands ut the present day
A. that time Great Britain hard cuataiued more than
100000 souls, while ireland, with some 4,ooo,ooo
norc was rather burden than support We may
well conceive the advantages which our rival had IN
hose days from her superior numbers, aud admire
he courage with which our loretathers were always
ctdY for war with France-a country which had
IN effective population of not far from three times
heir own. }ut now things have indeed altered
The British people have increased and multiplied
aud repleui,hei the earth ia amanner beyond
.mpe. Frcnchmen may laugh at our large families
while their own households are limited TO two or
hree, but we have certainly the best of it, siuec,
within the last two generations, we have been able
not only To assist in popul ting America and eooni-
,lag Australia, but we have actually raised urhome
p1palaton to something approaching equality with
lie Preach. live take Groai Britain alone we lind
hat the population has considerably dorc than dou-
ct since the French revolution, while that OF France
scarcely increased moe than thirty five per cent.
'ptwihstauding Irish famine ana English strikes,
'ha'sf8 and 'hart harvcsts, the number of children
ia6i hts heen continually in enormous excess over
tho deaths. But in France find that every natu-
raj or political calamity checks the increase in
marked manner. In lSlt the excess of births
deaths Tell from $4,000 10 g. 600 account of the
scarcity, AMI this small excess again diminished
to 1900 by the cholera of lS49. Things grew
after lS5l under the double influence of scar
city and war Til in 1854 aud 1888 the deaths for the
fest time exceeded the births. Thus we learn the
astonishing fact that at the present time the popula
ton Of France IS actually diminishing although emil
grafton has almost entirely ceased, War, II success
siH OF bad hareests, all pointed to MS having
n prOlurnp this STARTLING result but e
not but feel that there must be deeper and
more abiding than nny of these. Eor thirty years, Mt
least, the proportonate increase has beea steadily
lessening, and the present time only witnesses the
change from increase TO diminution This is fact
which may somewhat justify Guizot or De Toe
queyille in their mournful tone.
France has certainly changed in character since
her revolution Before that great conyulson the
French hadh great deal of what we consider ey-
clu,vely Anglo Saxon qualities. They colonzed
and conquered they settled Canada, where they keep
their ground until the present day; they planted
Louisiana, assembled the Mississippi, and nearly
ceeded in checking the development OF the colonies
which are the United States They got the start
OF Us in India, won battles, formed alliances and al
most effected what Providence eventually reserved for
| huglAnd. Their fleets, even rs late the American
war, were equa to ours in strength, and fought a
/ gainst us without disgrace. Their merchant marine
/ was 10 still later period almost equal to ours in
tonnage; but within the present century the two
! tlons have gone different WAYS How much we have
! changed IT is unnecessary to say, but certainly
! France seems to have lost much ol the energy aud
vitality OF the old times. The excessive development
! OF the military power in Europe and the attention
paid strictly 10 Continental concerns have turned the
French from the field which they wrestled with us
/ under the elder Bourbous They do not trade and
colonzc they used. Manufacturers mostly OF an
artistic kind, and agriculture carried on in n com
paratiyey primitive fashion, are the occupations Of
the people aud these do not give the energy and spr